Kitsune's Power
by TheBeardedOne
Summary: With a Kekkai Genkai awoken by an errant stone, Naruto must tame his new powers before he ends up hurting those he cares about.
1. Chapter 1

Authorial note.

I do not own Naruto or anything linked with it. If I did, Sasuke would not have hair that looks like a duck's arse.

This story was inspired by and borrows quite a bit from the story "Oops!" by Smylingsnake. I have added said story to my favourites list, but since Smylingsnake (at the time of writing) has not updated it in well over a year, I thought I would follow in his tracks somewhat(minus the lack-of-updating thing... no disrespect intended, Smylingsnake).

Rather than just follow the path Smylingsnake blazed, though, I'm setting my story earlier in the timeline.

And it will have one heck of an effect...

Oops! id /s/4595834/1/Oops

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**Chapter One – The Mistake**

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The stone came out of nowhere.

To be fair, even if he had realised it was incoming, Naruto would have had maybe a fifty/fifty chance of dodging it. Normally it would have been higher, but the portion of his mind that would normally notice such things was otherwise engaged with obsessing over the fact that the universe seemed to be naturally unfair.

He had been thrown out of the orphanage.

Again.

At the age of five.

Ironically, the stone that hit him had not been cast by one of the many ignorant villagers that hated him for reasons that he did not understand and had never been told. It simply fell from the top of the crumbling wall that he was curled up against, destabilised by the combination of aged mortar and the gentle, yet variable breeze.

Normally, it would have simply left a bruise. Had he been asleep, he would never have noticed since his healing would have fixed it by the morning, leaving maybe a bit of drying blood. If he had been awake, it would have led to some muttered cursing, a rubbing of the head and stomping off to find a less collapse-prone place to rest.

But he had been at the border between wakefullness and sleep, at the exact point between the two where awareness exists, but the will to move is absent.

And the impact sent him spiralling into his own mind.

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"Owww. What hit me?"

Naruto sat up and looked around, his irritation slowly vanishing to be replaced with an odd mixture of curiosity and unease.

And discomfort.

Pulling himself to his feet, he looked round at the walls and ceiling of the tunnel that he had found himself in, then he looked down and blinked.

"What the... is that water?"

The thin layer of liquid flowed over the stone flagstones and, having no reason to do otherwise, Naruto followed the flow to see where it went. After a journey that could have been as little as ten minutes or as long as ten hours, Naruto turned a corner and halted at the sight before him.

The tunnel was blocked by a set of massive gates, their hinges set deep into the walls. Where the gates met was a piece of paper marked only with the kanji for 'seal'.

But it was what was behind the gates that caught Naruto's attention. A giant, shifting, red-furred shape that was unfolding and standing up. Nine tails extended from one end and at the other, a head containing glowing red eyes and sharp teeth almost as long as Naruto was high turned to look at him.

"**Ah, so my new container has come to visit me."**

Naruto blinked and scratched his head.

"Container? Where am I? Who are you?"

The giant beast snorted.

"**It is considered polite to introduce yourself before asking the name of another."**

Naruto nodded, remembering many of the conversations he had overheard since very few people wanted to speak to him for some reason. Thinking back to how someone had talked to his favourite person, the old man he called Jiji and others called Hokage, Naruto bowed to the odd being.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure. Might I know your name?"

A burst of laughter echoed through the tunnel.

"**How polite! I think I'm going to like you. I am known to many as the Kitsune no Kyuubi. My true name I shall reveal to you if you prove yourself worthy. As for your other questions, we are inside your... mind, shall we say. It is far more complicated than that, but for now, that description will do. And as for what I meant by container, it is simple. When you were born, I was sealed inside you."**

Naruto frowned in thought as he worked his way through the explanation.

"I... think I get it. But... isn't it boring here?"

For a moment, the Kyuubi stared at him, then a sigh emerged.

"**It is less unpleasant than being in my last container, but I was complete back then. Half my power was taken from me when I was ripped from her and a red-eyed man made me attack Konoha. At least this time, I have something to look at, although I would give much to see the world once more."**

"Does that paper stop you getting out?" Naruto asked and Kyuubi nodded. Naruto stared at it for a moment, then walked over and tried to reach it.

"**What... what are you doing?"**

"Letting you out." Naruto said, stretching to reach the paper just tantalisingly beyond his reach. A second later, the tip of a tail slammed into him, sending him tumbling.

"Oww! What was that for? I was trying to free you!"

"**And in doing so, you would have died, as I probably would as well."** came the response. **"Plus, you never asked if I wanted to get out."**

Naruto stared at him, his bruises forgotten as he tried to understand.

"I... I don't understand. Why don't you want to get out?"

"**Because,"** the giant creature sighed, **"Out there is a man who can turn me into his mindless slave, and I cannot defend myself against him. By remaining here, even though it is boring, I am not a slave. I may not be free, but I am not a slave."**

"That's not fair." Naruto pouted. "No-one should make you a slave, I'll find him and hurt him so bad, he won't do it again and you can go free."

For several moments, the two stared at each other.

"**I... I do believe you mean that. You will need to grow strong and study, that you may defeat him and free me without dying, but... if that is what you want to do, I will help you as best I can."**

Naruto grinned and picked himself off the wet floor. Walking back to the gate, he smiled at the giant being.

"Thank you."

"**No, thank you. Now please, let me consider things for a moment... ah. I give you my word that I will not do anything to harm you if you will let me use my abilities to help you. I sense you are malnourished and lacking in physical capabilities... and have several seals placed upon you that should not be there. Will you accept my aid?"**

"Sure."

As Naruto said it, the Kyuubi extended his tail through the bars and gently wrapped it around Naruto's waist, lifting him to the seal.

"**First, you must change the seal so that I can aid you. Just tear off a small bit of each corner, no bigger than your fingernail... yes, just like that. Excellent. Now, look round."**

Naruto staggered slightly as the tail placed him back down and he glanced round as sparkles of red shimmered across the walls. In several places, the sparkles seemed to stick and outline odd shapes.

"What are those?"

"**Those, kit, are the seals that should not be there, placed by those who hated you for what you carry. Take this dagger and stab those seals. I will tell you what each one was for."**

Naruto blinked as the Kyuubi spat a tooth out. It skittered across the floor and came to rest against his foot. Picking it up, he grinned as it shifted slightly, becoming a pale silver dagger with an amber handle and a small red-leather loop on the end.

"**That is the Kitsune's Fang. Only you can use it and when you wake up, it will be by your side so you know that this was not a dream. Only you can use it, no-one else will be able to touch it. Now, try it on that first seal to your right. That one was placed to slow your memory, making it harder to learn... One of the Yamanaka clan placed it there three years ago."**

Naruto plunged the tip of his new dagger into the invisible seal and a second later it faded into view, already starting to disintegrate as if it were on fire.

"**Excellent. Now the one on the wall behind you is set to kill you should you leave the village without permission. **_**That**_** one was placed by a Shinobi wearing a blank mask..."**

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The last seal evaporated into a plume of smoke and Naruto grinned.

"**Excellent, kit. Excellent. Now I can work to help you as I promised. How does extra speed, strength and health sound? I will make you the fastest and strongest shinobi in the village if you wish."**

"That would be wonderful, Kyuubi-sama! Thank you!"

The Kyuubi chuckled at the display of childish gratitude.

"**Very well kit. I shall make you five times as strong as you would be without my aid, and twice as fast. And since I like you so much, I shall boost your senses and set a link that we may speak to each other when you are awake. Does that sound good?"**

"It sounds awesome, Kyuubi-sama! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The Kyuubi grinned and started to send his power into the walls of the tunnels, illuminating the pipes that were running acroos the sides and ceiling.

"**Alright, first, your eyes and ears. A small tweak and you'll be able to see perfectly at night and hear things far away. Eyes first..."**

Naruto listed to the Kyuubi muttering to itself as he looked round, then he frowned at a slight glow in the water. Walking over to it, he looked down and saw another outlined shape indicating a seal.

"**...that's interesting, there seems to be some resistance to the strength boost..."**

Ignoring the odd comments, Naruto tensed and thrust the Fang into the invisible seal, grinning as it flashed into visibility.

"**What the?!"**

The seal almost exploded, knocking Naruto backwards and he landed with a thud against the rapidly drying floor. For a few moments, his ears rang and his eyes defocused, then he sat up and felt the Kyuubi looking at him.

"There was one more seal... I kind of missed it before..."

The Kyuubi stared at him, then down at the scorch mark that showed where the seal had been.

"**Oh dear... That's not good..."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Explanations**

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Naruto opened his eyes and almost screamed as he found himself staring at a masked figure that was regarding him quizzically. After a few near-panicked seconds, recognition dawned and he relaxed.

"Inu."

The figure nodded and handed over a bowl of ramen. Naruto's mouth watered and with a heartfelt "thanks!" he grabbed the bowl.

It exploded.

Both Inu and Naruto froze as the ramen splattered them both and the crushed remains of the bowl dropped to the ground. Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet.

Or tried to.

When he pushed against the ground, he found himself soaring into the air, arcing across the street and landing with a thud on the roof of the building opposite.

"What the..?"

'_**Kit, you remember when I was trying to boost your strength and you got rid of the seal? well...'**_

The kyuubi sounded embarrassed and Naruto frowned.

"What happened?"

'_**Just think your questions. You don't want anyone over-hearing, they wouldn't understand.'**_

'_What happened?'_

'_**The seal was resisting the strength boost and I kind of... put too much power into it. When you broke the seal, the power rushed out before I could pull it back and... it kind of made you far stronger than I intended. I managed to alter your skeleton, ligaments, skin and other important things so you won't tear yourself apart using your strength, but... sorry.'**_

'_Why are you sorry?'_ Naruto gasped, grinning madly. "That was awesome!"

"How did you do that?"

Naruto looked round to see Inu crouched next to him.

"Oh, Hi, Inu!"

'_**Kit, don't tell him about what we did! Say you don't know what happened.'**_

"How did you do that, Naruto? And why do you have some blood in your hair"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I was trying to get to my feet. And the blood, no clue. Um, help?"

Inu took the proffered arm and carefully pulled as Naruto remained as still as possible. Once he was vertical, Naruto smiled.

"Thanks, Inu. Ummm, can you take me to see Jiji? I don't know if I dare to move at the moment..."

The silver-haired masked ninja nodded and picked Naruto up. Tucking him under his arm, he leapt off the roof towards the Hokage's tower.

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Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, had seen many odd things in his life. He had fought against ninja with Kekkai Genkai that allowed them to reshape the battlefield, mow down hundreds of enemies in a single move or even predict the future. He had seen his pupils summon creatures larger than buildings and had witnessed the greatest jutsus of the age, the Rasengan and the Hiraishin.

None of that had prepared him for the sight of his favourite orphan effortlessly knocking down a wall and looking embarrassed.

"Sorry, Jiji. I was just trying to lean against the wall. I wasn't sure I could sit down without destroying the chair."

"That's quite alright, Naruto. I was thinking of expanding the office, anyway." Hiruzen said calmly. "I must say, though, that you've become very strong. Any idea how or why?"

'_**Tell him that a man threw a stone at you last night, and when you woke up you were strong.'**_ the Kyuubi whispered. _**'Let him think it's a new bloodline limit. In fact, it is, I tweaked it to make it one after you left.'**_

"I got hit by a stone last night and woke up strong." Naruto grinned with a shrug. "I don't know why, but it's pretty cool. Except for all the breaky stuff, that is."

Inu and Hiruzen exchanged a long look, then their attention returned to Naruto.

"What were you doing out last night, anyway?" Hiruzen asked gently.

"Ah, the orphanage threw me out." Naruto pouted, missing the sudden flare of anger in Hiruzen's eyes. "The nasty lady in charge said I was a monster and shouldn't be around real kids."

"I... see." Hiruzen said slowly, ignoring the crushed remains of his pipe in his hand. "Normally, I'd try to find a better orphanage, but with your new strength... you're going to need help controlling it. Otherwise you'll be unable to even feed yourself."

"I know." Naruto sighed, rubbing his stomach. "I saw what happened when I grabbed the bowl of ramen. How do I learn control?"

"That, I'm not sure about." Hiruzen admitted. "But you'll need some specialised equipment at the very least. Your clothing, for instance, you need new things to wear."

"Can they be orange?"

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The ripping noise echoed through the shop, followed a moment later by an embarrassed chuckle.

"Ummmm, Jiji..."

Sarutobi lowered his head into his cupped hands, then gave a pleading look to the shopkeeper.

"Do you have anything stronger?" he sighed as the tailor gaped at Narotu and the shredded item of clothing now being dropped onto the pile of similar items. Like the other items, it hadn't been the seam that had split.

"That... that was leather! Double-thick reinforced!" he gasped. "I... I don't have _anything_ stronger than that here!"

"No choice." Sarutobi said, standing up with a hidden wince. "I guess that we're going to ANBU HQ to see what they have that'll stand up to you. Oh, send me the bill for those items."

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"This is SO COOL!"

Naruto almost leapt out of the changing cubicle, only remembering at the last instant that such an action would probably launch him through the ceiling. Even normal walking tended to cause him to take unplanned arcs through the air, so he carefully shuffled out, placing each foot as lightly as he could.

"That does look good." Sarutobi nodded. "Reinforced chainmail with leather backing makes a great choice of clothing fabrics for you, as long as you don't try to pull it on too fast."

Naruto blushed slightly at the reminder, then turned to admire himself in the mirror. Due to the cost of the material, he was clad only in loose trousers and a sleeveless tunic made of chainmail, sandals made from metal with a thick leather lining and a belt comprised of reinforced metal links with an oversized buckle that he could undo without inadvertantly crushing it (as he had done with the previous three belts). Metal plates surmounted his shoulders with the Uzumaki spiral on the left one.

"You look fine, Naruto." Sarutobi said, tapping Naruto's arm to break his fascination with his reflection. "Now come on, we need to find you somewhere to live, and get someone to watch over you."

Naruto nodded and reached for the bag containing the other, almost identical outfits, then he paused just before touching it.

"Jiji, is the bag strong enough?"

"I don't see why it shouldn't be. Now come on."

Naruto slowly placed the bag over his shoulder and edged to the door that the Hokage had gone through. Reaching out, he gave it a slight push.

As the Professor God of Shinobi, Hiruzen's reflexes had only slightly dulled with age, so he was able to easily dodge the door that sliced through the air, embedding itself in the wall of the building opposite.

"Ooops... sorry."

"It's okay, Naruto." He sighed without even bothering to look round. "Just remember to check to see which direction the door opens next time. That one opens inwards... or it did, anyway."

"Sorry."

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Naruto paused before sliding the door open as gently as he could. Sarutobi winced as the door slammed against the frame, and shattered.

"Ummm, maybe a normal apartment isn't such a good idea... I know. Come with me."

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"This bunker dates back to the founding of Konoha, but when Konoha expanded, it became surplus to requirements, but was too well-built to knock down. Well, what do you think?"

Naruto stepped into the abandoned hill-side bunker and looked around. Although well-hidden from the outside, slit windows allowed enough light in that lamps would not be needed during the day. The entry hall led to a large room which had a spiral staircase leading both up and down.

"The stairs lead up to a half-dozen observation rooms and a quartet of windowless barracks, you might want to use one of the observation rooms as your bedroom. There's also a hatchway that leads to an open area at the top, originally intended as a training area." Sarutobi said. "There is a small washroom through there, but you should be very careful while using it, and there's two communal bathrooms upstairs. The kitchen and dining hall's over there, it's designed to be used for ten squads of ninja, so it'll be more than big enough for you. Down there are more storage rooms and a couple of large sparring chambers, as well as an archway into a natural cavern that has a lake in it, giving you plenty of water. There's also an armoury, but it was emptied out several decades back. As you grow older, you may want to use it to store your weapons and scrolls."

"This has to be the most awesome place ever!" Naruto said with a grin, heading for the roof access. A gentle tap slammed it open and Naruto stepped through and whooped with excitement.

"I have a garden! I can grow flowers and vegetables and fruits... hey, jiji, is there such a thing as a ramen plant?"

"Ummm, not to my knowledge." Sarutobi said, joining his near-grandson in the yard. He glanced round, seeing the rich soil and the tree growing at the back, the petals on it promising a good crop of cherries.

"I love it!" Naruto laughed, bouncing round, then remembering about his tendency to acheive high-arc trajectories and standing still. "Is it really mine now?"

"Yes, yes it is." Sarutobi smiled at the obviously-overjoyed young boy. "From today, this bunk… er… I mean house is yours. Please try not to break it. Now, I'll get a mattress delivered for you, as well as some shelves, I'm not sure that anything with doors is a good idea yet, and tomorrow we'll have your new strength checked and see about training for you."

"Great! Ummm, I'm hungry. Can we have ramen?"

Sarutobi paused.

"Ah. I'm not sure that the chopsticks would be able to stand up to your newfound strength, Naruto. Maybe some takeaway barbeque with dango to follow."

"Ah man." Naruto moaned, looking depressed for the first time that day. "Strength sucks."

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"Boar, you have a report?"

The Anbu who had just appeared bowed, but something about him seemed... off. Had Sarutobi not known about the high levels of professionalism that Anbu held themselves to, he would have sworn that Boar was... smirking... under his mask.

"Naruto is fast asleep, Tora is currently watching over him. On his way home from your meal with him, a group of civilians, fifteen of them, tried to attack him. The results were... amusing."

Sarutobi blinked, then he started to massage his forehead.

"What happened?"

"Before we could move in, Naruto started to throw the civilians who were attacking him into the air. He was rather gentle about it, but we had our work cut out catching them as they came down... two blocks away. The rest of them ran after one of them hit him with a club... and it shattered. We don't think he even noticed it."

Hiruzen slowly put his pipe down and continued to massage his head.

"How long before the council..."

"Sarutobi, have you heard what that _beast_ has done!" Counciller Haruno howled as she burst through the doorway, followed by almost half a dozen other members of the civilian council. "He went on a rampage and attacked a hundred people without warning! It was a massacre! He needs to die!"

Sarutobi continued to massage his forehead.

Why was it that over ninety percent of his problems revolved around one small child?

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'_**You forgot to grab the dagger I made for you.'**_

For a moment, Naruto blinked without understanding, then a specific memory reappeared and he swore underneath his breath.

"Ah! I forgot with Inu there! I'll go get it now!"

'_**No need. Just hold out your right hand, picture the Fang in your mind, and say "come".'**_

Naruto stared blankly at the wall for a moment, then did as he was instructed.

"Come!"

As if out of nowhere, the Fang materialised in his hand and Naruto gasped.

"Wow! Thanks Kyuubi! You're really amazing! It's incredible, and it looks really sharp."

'_**It is sharp, so sharp it can cut through anything. The blade is thinner than a piece of parchment, yet stronger than the strongest steel. And the reason for that is that it is not made of anything other than pure Youkai.'**_

"Youkai?"

'_**It is a form of Chakra unique to demons and Biju. The Fang is comprised of the bits of Youkai that get through the seal and it absorbs those bits to remain solid. As you grow, you will be able to use the Fang, you will be able to change its size and appearance, but that will not happen for many years. Now, place it on your right leg so the point of the blade is near your knee... that's good. The Fang will remain there until you choose to use it. And you need not worry about anyone else using it against you. For anyone else, except those you give it to, it will be intangible. They will be unable to pick it up, to even touch it.'**_

Naruto admired the dagger in the fading light.

'_Thanks, Kyuubi, this is the best thing anyone has ever given me!'_

'_**You're welcome, kit. Now get some sleep. I think tomorrow will be a busy day...'**_

"Okay." Naruto yawned as he sat down on the futon. Reaching down, he grabbed the thick canvas blanket and pulled it up as he settled down.

"Good-night, Kyuubi-sama."

'_**Good-night, kit.'**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Control**

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The dawnlight lanced through the window, hitting Naruto's face. Muttering under his breath, he slowly slid out from underneath the canvas sheet and stretched before trudging to the bathroom. Moving to the line of showers, he reached out to one, then froze, his hand a bare inch away from the taps.

"Ah heck, how do I do this without breaking it?"

'_**I would suggest carefully, and as lightly as possible. Don't grab, just place your finger and move it like you're drawing round the tap.'**_

Naruto followed the instructions and was rewarded with a spray of water. Reaching for the soap, he sighed as most of it promptly liquidised in his grip, some of it squirting out to decorate the shower walls.

"I guess I need to work on that." he sighed, ignoring the laughter echoing in the back of his mind. "Oh well, a quick scrub and then breakfast."

'_**Yes, that would be a good idea. Your new body will need food.'**_

Naruto nodded and rubbed the remnants of the soap into his hair, then used the resulting lather to clean the rest of his body. After a few moments of scrubbing, he let the shower wash him clean, then with as much care as possible, he shut off the flow.

'_**I don't think a towel will last... try to focus your chakra. Make a ram seal with your hands like this... yes, that's good, now focus on your chakra and push it into your skin.'**_

Naruto closed his eyes and a moment later, he was dry.

'_**Nice work, kit. Now, why not get dressed and grab some food, then we can head out and see if you can get some training in how to control your new strength.'**_

Naruto nodded as he walked over to the clothing. First, he tied on the special underpants, carefully knotting the ninja-wire-reinforced side-strings, then he slowly pulled on a pair of trousers and a new tunic. Donning the belt, he looked at himself in the mirror and, with a satisfied nod, moved to the kitchen where a bag of rolls was waiting for him.

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"A very youthful morning to you, young one!"

Naruto's startled jolt launched him into the air and he grabbed onto the first thing he encountered. As reality re-asserted itself, he found himself up a tree, with a somewhat-perplexed bushy-browed green-clad ninja looking up at him almost ten meters below.

"Ummm, help? I think I'm stuck."

"Of course! I do apologise, it was most unyouthful of me to suprise you like that. But that was a most amazing leap, are you already training in the way of the Shinobi? And if so, who is your instructor? He must be excellent to fan your flames of youth to such an extent."

Naruto blinked a few times as he tried to decode what the obviously-crazy man was saying, then he shrugged.

"Um, can you get a ladder or... no, a ladder wouldn't work, I'd break it... can you get me down? Please?"

"Of course I will, or I will climb every tree in Konoha!" the obviously-completely-insane ninja declaimed before he made a handsign and strode forwards. Reaching the base of the tree, he didn't pause, but instead strode up the trunk of the tree, much to Naruto's shock. Reaching him, the ninja reached out and gently plucked him from the branch, then turned and walked back down to ground level, placing him back on the ground.

"I am the Mighty Green Beast of Konoha, Maito Gai! Might I know your name, o one who blazes with the passion of youth?"

"Um, Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. What are you doing?"

Gai took a pose and Naruto blinked as the sunlight glinted from his teeth.

"I was merely performing my normal early-morning exercises with a brisk run around Konoha."

"Can I come too?"

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"Yes, Gai? What is it?"

"Hokage-sama, while on my early-morning jog, I encountered a young lad who has potential like nothing I have ever seen before! He was able to keep up with me during my morning training! During my talk with him, I learned that he has a Kekkai Genkai that grants him incredible speed and strength which he struggles to control, and he has no family to aid him."

Hiruzen blinked as he considered the energetic Jonin in front of him.

"Gai... would this youngster be one Uzumaki Naruto by any chance?"

"Yosh! That is indeed the name of the most youthful boy! You know of him, I assume?"

"I do." Hiruzen said. "His strength is quite destructive, so he lives in a bunker that should be strong enough to withstand him. What's your interest in him?"

Gai took a thinking pose and Hiruzen sighed at his dramatics.

"As you know, I have agreed to sponsor the son of a good friend of mine to the Academy in two years, even though he lacks the ability to use chakra, but it will be a while before I can truly begin his training. This Naruto needs help if he is to control the conflaguration of power inside him, with your permission I would like to oversee his training before he enters the academy. Once I have helped him learn how to control his power, I think he would make a great sparring partner and friend to Lee."

Hiruzen thought about it for a few moments.

"Have you seen where he lives?"

"Yosh! I have visited the family of my apprentice-to-be Rock Lee several times."

Gai's declamation was met by a blank stare.

"Hokage-sama?"

"I... was talking about Naruto, Gai."

"Ooooohhh! Then no, I have not seen the... did you say bunker?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, the old bunker which was used by the second defence unit prior to Konoha's expansion. You should know it, if memory serves, you were genin to one of the Jonin who worked there."

Gai's face lit with recognition.

"Yosh! I do indeed remember that bastion of youthfullness! But to have a young boy live there alone... I have an idea! Hokage-sama, may I become young Naruto's guardian until he has control over his newfound conflaguration of youthful energy?"

Another blank stare was sent his way as Hiruzen tried to work his way through the request.

"Every instinct I have is going into red alert... Apart from exercises, what can you offer him?"

Gai dropped his 'nice guy' pose and turned serious.

"Hokage-sama, young Naruto is suffering from borderline malnutrition which is going to stunt his growth if left unchecked. I know how to cook, I learned since none of the restaurants could provide me with the food I needed for my training. I can also instruct Naruto in several styles of taijitsu that will teach him control and let him use his new strength to its fullest."

"...alright. I know that there are several spare rooms there, so if Naruto agrees, you can move into the bunker temporarily to keep an eye on him. However, I will be assigning someone else as well and you'll both be getting ongoing C-rank pay for this, along with a small stipend for supplies."

Gai caught the small envelope and glanced inside it before standing to attention.

"I understand, Hokage-sama, and with your permission, I will go and purchase the foodstuffs that I will need. And if I cannot do that, then I will..."

"Fine, dismissed!" Hiruzen barked. As Gai vanished, he placed his head into his cupped hands.

"Why do I suddenly feel worried... I really need someone to offset Gai's eccentricity... I have it!"

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Gai stared at the figure in front door, then reflexively dodged as Naruto barrelled through, forgetting his strength once again.

"Inu! It's good to see you! Why are you here?"

The Anbu laughed and pulled off his mask, revealing that he was wearing a second mask across his lower face as well as having his Hitai-ate angled across his left eye.

"The Hokage asked me to help look after you and teach you a few tricks." he said with an eye-smile at the excitable youth. "Gai may be the best taijitsu master in Konoha, but when it comes to _ninjitsu_, I'm the best. May I enter?"

"Sure, come in!" Naruto bubbled. "You already know Gai-sensei then? He's agreed to look after me and he cooks really nice food, it's almost as good as ramen!"

"He does indeed know me, my youthful apprentice." Gai said, recovering from his suprise. "Indeed, Hatake Kakashi is my eternal rival!"

"Did you say something. Gai?"

"Curse your hip and cool ways, Kakashi!"

Naruto giggled, then looked up at Inu... no, Kakashi.

"Are you staying as well, like Gai-sensei?"

"If you don't mind, then yes." Kakashi said with another eye-smile. "And while Gai helps you get your strength under control, I can help you with your chakra. I can tell you have a great deal of it, at least as much as a high-level chunin if not a low-level jonin, so you'll need to practice... and I think I may have an idea on that one, but I'll need to check with the Hokage first."

Naruto cheered and Gai lightly placed a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from launching himself into the ceiling.

"Now, my young apprentice, you remember the Kata of the Gentle River that I showed you earlier? Good. Head to the sparring hall and practice it while my eternal rival and I talk, then I'll teach you some more."

With another cheer, Naruto dived for the descending staircase. Both Gai and Kakashi winced as he bounced off the side of the stairwell and rolled out of sight. A laugh sounded after the final thud, along with an "oops", causing both men to relax.

"Thank Kami you're here, Kakashi." Gai said quietly. "I'm working on getting his strength under control and his reflexes balanced, but he needs more help than I can give him by myself. He doesn't even know how to read or write! I have no idea _what_ that orphanage was doing, but it was most unyouthful of them."

Kakashi nodded, his gaze on the stairwell as he pulled a storage scroll from his pocket.

"I see. Once you're done with him for the day, I'll try to run him through some basic chakra-control exercises. Leaf-balancing won't work, so I'll have to start with tree-climbing. In the meantime, I have my stuff sealed here, so which room should I take?"

"Up the stairs. Naruto has the middle-left window-room, I have the leftmost. I'd suggest you take the one furthest on the right. Oh, and Kakashi, please make sure that those unyouthful orange books you read are out of his reach. He is much too young to be exposed to those things."

"Don't worry." Kakashi said as he ambled up the stairs. "I may be a pervert, but I don't corrupt kids. That would just be wrong. I did get a book that he might like, though. And don't worry, Gai. There's no smut in it at all."

Gai stared at him and Kakashi's visible eye widened as he thought through what he had just said.

"_Romance_! No _romance_ in it at all! Besides, it's not smut, it's art!"

Gai shook his head and moved to follow his student.

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Gai stirred the pot as he glanced over to where Kakashi and Naruto were sat with Naruto slowly working his way through the green-covered book that Kakashi had produced. Snatches of the story drifted across and he grinned as he heard the character's name, it was Naruto.

"I must admit," he mused quietly, "I had my doubts, but _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_ was probably the best choice for teaching him to read. Despite the fact that it's by the same author as that most unyouthful _Icha Icha_ series. I may just get a copy for myself and one for Lee."

From the dining table, Kakashi looked up at him and gave a discreet thumbs-up before gently correcting Naruto as he sounded out the next word. Gai smiled and added some seasoning to the simmering liquid, then took a slight taste.

"Alright." he called out as he dished out the soup into two ceramic bowls and one tempered-steel one. "Put the book away, my cute youthful apprentice and my eternal rival, it's time to eat."

Naruto nodded and carefully placed a bookmark before allowing Kakashi to close the book and move it to a nearby shelf. Gai took advantage of the newly-vacated table to slide the bowls into position, then he grabbed the spoons, noting again with wry amusement that the one Naruto used was of incredible strength compared to the other two, and still had dent-marks from his accidental squeezes as he ate.

"Itadakimasu" they said almost in unison before picking up their spoons. Gai started to eat, then glanced across at Kakashi, who had somehow managed to already inhale a third of his bowl... without seeming to remove his mask. On the other side of the round table, Naruto was eating slowly but steadily, managing not to deform the handle of the spoon any more than it already was.

"This is wonderful, Gai-sensei." Naruto said between sips. "When I get my control good enough to not chop through the worktop again, will you teach me how to cook like this?"

"I would be glad to." Gai said, giving him a thumbs-up and a glinting grin. "And your control has improved to the point that I think you can help me to train one who will be my other youthful apprentice. He is a year older than you and has an unfortunate inability to use chakra, but his flames of youth are a match for yours! I believe that you will help inspire him to new displays of youthfulness! He is already training hard with weights and has a chance to reach through hard work the level you have achieved due to your Kekkai Genkai. In fact, I would not be suprised if you go to the Academy together."

Naruto grinned and Kakashi spoke up.

"You'll need to work more on your chakra control, but I've _finally_ got permission from the Hokage to teach you something that could help. It's called the Kage Bunshin. With your reserves, you'll never be able to do a regular Bunshin, but Hokage-sama said any form of Bunshin would work. Using it, Gai will be able to help you with your physical control while I oversee your chakra control at the same time. That way, you'll be able to learn twice as fast, or even faster."

"Cool!" Naruto enthused, then he froze as a familiar _clink_ sounded. Looking down, he sighed at the sight of the broken handle in his hand and the end of the spoon lying by the side of his bowl. "Ooops."

"Never mind, Naruto." Kakashi said, ruffling his hair reassuringly. "That one lasted a full two weeks, a new record. Wait a moment."

Naruto looked sadly at the broken spoon as Kakashi rose and retreived a new one from the reinforced cutlery drawer. Returning to his chair, he handed the spoon over to Naruto, who gingerly accepted it with a smile before resuming his meal.

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"Hello, are you Gai-sensei's most youthful student, Naruto?"

Naruto paused in practicing his kata and looked round. Seeing the one who had spoken, it was all he could do not to goggle. At the edge of the clearing stood a lad only slightly older than himself, but that wasn't what transfixed him.

Like Gai-sensei, the boy was clad in a green unitard with orange legwarmers wrapped around his lower legs. His hair was black and cut in a bowl-shape while his eyebrows were... were they really eyebrows? Surely no-one had brows that bushy.

Except for Gai-sensei, that was...

"Who are you?"

The boy grinned and took a thumbs-up stance so much like Gai that Naruto blinked.

"My name is Rock Lee, soon-to-be apprentice of the Sublime Green Beast of Konoha, Maito Gai! Gai-sensei told me that you are also studying under him, although he said that you were seeking to control the conflaguration of youthful fire you have gained in order to prevent damaging others with your flames of youth!"

Naruto blinked several times as he slowly worked his way through what the boy had said, his experience with Gai proving very useful.

"If I may," Lee continued, "May I ask what my wonderful sensei-to-be meant about your conflaguration of youthful fire?"

"It's easier to show you." Naruto said, moving over to one of the boulders surrounding the clearing. Sliding one hand underneath, he felt around for the balance point so that he wouldn't drop it, then he lifted it one-handed to over his head. Lee's already-wide eyes somehow grew larger.

"It's a Kekkai Genkai." Naruto said with a smile. "But it activated wrong, and now I have too much strength and not enough control. Gai-sensei has been helping me to learn to not use my strength. Heck, I still occasionally rip my tunic when I put it on, and Kakashi-sensei says it's tougher than ANBU armour."

Lee stared, a wide grin forming on his face.

"Yosh! You are indeed a most youthful person, Naruto-san! I hope to one day be that strong and thus prove that one can achieve through hard work what is gifted to others!"

"I'll be glad to help." Naruto grinned, enjoying Lee's almost-infectious excitement. "Lee-san, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – Study**

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Two blurs raced along the streets of Konoha towards the Academy. Although neither were even Genin, they were moving at a speed that most Chunin and even a few Jonin would have been envious of, leaving two almost-parallel lines of dust behind them as they dashed through the main gate of the Academy and skidded to a stop.

"So..." panted Naruto as his grinned at his brother-in-all-but-blood. "Who won? I... I kind of lost track there."

"I do not know myself." Lee grinned as he pulled out a small scroll and held it out. Naruto channeled some Chakra into it and a pair of weights materialised from it. Placing them on his legs, Lee adjusted his legwarmers to hide them, then took a few experimental paces. "I know that if I had been wearing my weights, you would have beaten me."

"You're getting better way faster than me, though." Naruto laughed. "If we'd done this last month, I would probably have won."

"I cannot disagree with that statement, Naruto-nii-kun." Lee grinned, doing a few stretches to cool down. "I have been improving very fast since we first met, I am glad that my hard work in fanning my flames of youth to match your conflaguration of youthfullness is starting to pay off."

Naruto grunted as he stretched, then he turned back to face Lee.

"You may be unable to do the rest, but in a straight taijitsu spar, I think you'd flatten any chunin. And once we get through the academy, you'll be unstoppable, nii-san."

"_We_ will be unstoppable." Lee corrected with a wide grin as they started to stroll towards the main entrance where several children and their parents had already assembled waiting for the academy to open. "I will prove that a lack of chakra does not prevent one from being a great ninja."

"And I'll cheer you on and spar with you to fan your flames of youth." Naruto finished, lightly throwing one arm across the taller boy's shoulders and giving him a gentle one-armed hug.

Well, gentle for him.

Lee laughed as Naruto released him. "Your control is improving, Naruto-nii-chan. That was only _five_ times as strong as someone your size could do."

"I thank Kami every day that you and Gai-sensei are tough." Naruto admitted with a wry grin. "I'm still scared to actually touch anyone else, but you two have the best chance of surviving if my control slips."

"Speaking of control, I saw you sending out Kage Bunshins again this morning." Lee noted. "How many, and what for?"

"My chakra control's still shaky. Shaky, heck. It's still terrible. I sent out three hundred, a hundred each on tree-climbing and water-walking and the rest are practicing hand-signs and the three jutsus."

Lee sighed. "Ah, my best friend and eternal rival, there are times that I feel my youthful flames are dim beside yours. I sometimes wonder how things would be had I been gifted with the ability to use Chakra even a quarter as powerful as yours. But I am not depressed, I see it as a challenge!"

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Naruto sat down gingerly on the chair that had been specially reinforced for him at the Hokage's request, and placed his steel-encased notebook on the steel-and-oak desk. Around him, the rest of the students were filtering in and seeking out spaces to sit. Naruto glanced left to see Lee give him a grin and a thumbs-up.

"Do not worry, my most-youthful friend, our flames of youth shall let us overcome all obstacles so that we may become great ninja!"

"Does he always speak like that?"

Naruto jolted at the unexpected voice, causing his chair to creak in protest, then he turned and looked to where the voice had come from. A girl clad in a wrapped-top and loose trousers was looking at him, her expression quizzical.

"Ahhh, yeah. But you get used to it. He's Rock Lee, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Higurashi Tenten." the girl said, staring at him intently. "Um, why is your chair reinforced like that?"

"Naruto-nii-kun's flames of youth are a veritable conflaguration, granting him incredible strength." Rock Lee declaimed and Naruto had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "His youthfulness also grants him great speed and superior senses, but..."

"But I have some control issues with them." Naruto interrupted. "I've got my usable strength down to under ten times normal, but it's hard to not accidently damage anything around me."

Tenten's eyes widened in suprise.

"It's a Kekkai Genkai." Naruto explained almost sheepishly. "Trouble is, it activated wrong when I got hit by a stone. It was meant to make me stronger as I aged, but it went from off to full without warning."

"Wow." Tenten whispered. "I wonder how you'd do with kunai and shuriken, if you're that strong."

"Alright brats, listen up!" came a strong voice from the front of the classroom. "My name is Akamichi Akema and I'm your teacher. Now, time for register. Raise your hand when I call your name."

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"Hehehe, oops?"

Everyone was staring at the training dummy which had a hole punched straight through it. Behind the dummy, a tree had an almost identical hole, as did the tree on the other side of the path, the stone wall behind the tree, the wall of the house _behind_ that wall and, judging from the cursing going on, several items of furniture inside the house in question.

"Umm, you did say to throw it hard, sensei."

Akema tore his gaze away from the path of destruction and sighed deeply.

"Okay, until further notice, you are to throw shuriken and kunei as _lightly_ as you can without sacrificing accuracy. I heard you were strong, but... hmmm... come over here. Now, punch the training log."

Naruto nodded, took a deep breath and settled into one of the stances that Gai had taught him. Ducking slightly, he unleashed a powerful uppercut.

The airborne log dwindled as it arced towards the horizon, a trail of splinters marking its path, the rapidly fading _thwipthwip_ of its passage the only noise in the practice field.

"...okay... Naruto, you are excused from sparring..."

"I'll spar with him, sensei!" Rock Lee exclaimed excitedly. "Naruto-nii-kun has been my sparring partner for over a year and it helps us fan our flames of youth to unmatched levels!"

Akema stared at Lee, obviously unable to form a coherant thought.

"Excuse me, did I hear you say _you_ sparred with _him_?"

Naruto turned to look at the speaker, who turned out to be a boy with long black hair and pale eyes that lacked pupils.

"You... you're Hyuuga Neji, right?"

The correctly-identified boy nodded, his gaze fixated on Lee who spoke in his usual excited tone.

"Regarding sparring with Naruto-kun, I do indeed, and it helps my speed and strength to reach heights unsurpassed by any but my beautiful sensei, Maito Gai, and my most youthful friend Naruto!"

"You spar with the boy who just punched a training log out of Konoha?"

"I hold back." Naruto protested.

The silence of the onlookers told him that his protest hadn't helped his situation in the slightest.

"Well, if you're certain, Lee. You two get the first spar. Try not to kill each other…"

Lee grinned widely and Naruto replied with his normal foxy grin as they entered the ring. Naruto settled into his Gentle River stance while Lee straightened into a classic Goken stance.

"Hajime!"

Both figures seemed to blur as the sound of rock-hard flesh hitting rock-hard flesh echoed through the academy grounds. Clouds of dust obscured the blurred figures from the onlookers gaze as they exchanged blurring combinations of punches and kicks, then one of the figures was launched out of the circle and straight through a tree.

All the watchers gasped.

"My youthful friend, are you alright? I did not hurt you, did I?"

"I'm fine, Lee." Naruto laughed as he pulled himself upright, absently breaking the branches that had landed on top of him as he did so. "That was quite a move you pulled at the end. I wasn't expecting that one. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen it before. What was it?"

"A most youthful variation of the Rising Leaf Fist taught to me by our wonderful sensei." Lee grinned. "I was unsure that it would work against you, but when you did that mid-air attack, I realised that you would be unable to resist it."

Naruto laughed and bowed to Lee, who returned it.

"It worked. It would have been a KO against _anyone_ apart from me. Get the strength up, and it'll probably take _me_ out as well."

"I shall practice it most diligently!" Lee laughed with pleasure. "And I shall use it to enhance our flames of youth to levels unmatched by anyone else!"

The shocked students watched the two walk off, then one of them spoke in a trembling voice.

"Are… are they… even human?"

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Tentan sat down and pulled out her bento box, then glanced over at the two boys that the class had almost unanimously designated as the _Dangerous Duo_, when they weren't being called the _Twin Dragons Of Destruction _or the growing-in-popularity _Oh Kami, It's Them, Run Away, Run Away!_

Her eyebrows rose at the sight.

Naruto was carefully eating ramen, using metal chopstics. Despite the obvious care he was taking, the chopsticks had slight dents from where he had obviously squeezed too hard, while the metal bowl containing the ramen was almost an inch thick, and was likewise boasting a number of small pressure-induced dents.

And she recognised them. Her father had made several sets like that a year or two back, and he occasionally had to make replacements.

Lee's choice of utensils was also suprising. Like Naruto, he was using chopsticks, but his chopsticks were made of laquered paper and a small box by the side of his meal held several more of the thin paper tubes. The box in which his sushi was placed was obviously made out of very thin paper with a thin layer of laquer preventing it from collapsing.

She had to ask.

"Pardon the intrusion, but why are the two of you using such… odd chopsticks."

"Metal ones are the only sort that don't break for me at the moment." Naruto said. "And Lee is working on enhancing his control by using chopsticks that are as fragile for him as these ones are for me."

Tenten's eyes widened. She had helped to make some of those metal chopsticks, high-grade rolled steel with a strength rating better-suited to a club or sword.

And they were as fragile as paper tubes to Naruto?

Just how strong was he?

"That is indeed the case, my youthful friend has great difficulties with fragile items, or even items that people like you would not consider fragile, so he needs those metal chopsticks to aid him in practicing his control while he eats. And since it is such a youthful training method with many advantages, I use these paper chopsticks to train myself in the art of… oh bother."

Lee sighed as he put down the broken chopstick that he had, in his excitement, accidently tapped against the table, causing it to bend out of shape, and took a new chopstick out of the box.

"Don't worry, Lee." Naruto laughed. "I blame the table for that one."

"Yes!" Lee shouted. "I shall buy the most delicate table I can and use it to help me train my control!"

"It might be cheaper for you to make a table, rather than buy one." Naruto warned quickly, then he facepalmed. "I can't believe I just let myself get sucked in like that. Fragile tables. I'm not sure that that's a good idea, Lee."

Tenten tried to hide her giggles, then her gaze slid to the knife which was seemingly glued to Naruto's leg.

"Naruto-san… where did you get that knife from? It's… amazing!"

Naruto paused, then pulled at the knife. To Tenten's astonishment, it was not held in place by a hidden strap or anything like that.

"How did it do that?"

"It's a… mystical knife that was a gift to me by someone who believed in my potential." Naruto said as Lee picked up a leaf and gently lowered it onto the blade. The blade cut through the leaf without any resistance at all, and Naruto placed the knife on the table and motioned for her to examine it. Tenten eagerly reached out… and her hand passed straight through the handle as if it wasn't there.

"What the..?"

Naruto and Lee both smiled at the shock on her face.

"Only I can use that knife. And I can call it back to me at will." Naruto said, holding his hand up and curling his fingers, whispering the word "come" as he did so. An instant later, the knife had appeared in his hand. "It is only solid in my grasp, athough the blade remains sharp if I throw it at something. No-one except me can use it and I have been told that as I grow older and gain more control over my chakra, I'll be able to make it change shape."

Tenten's eyes widened and she stared almost reverently at the bladeas Naruto returned it to his thigh, where once again it affixed itself without any noticable support.

"That… that is… I've heard of the Raijin, a sword made out of lightning, but that knife… what is it?"

"My youthful friends most incredible knife is called the Kitsune's Fang." Lee said before popping another bit of sushi into his mouth. Swallowing, he continued. "It is a most incredible blade, able to slice through anything and will surely be part of Naruto's most youthful legend when he becomes a fully-fledged ninja!"

"Ummmm… yeah. What Lee said. Kitsune's fang, wonderful knife. Sharp."

Tenten giggled again.

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"Hello, my cute and youthful students! Does the Academy continue to fan the flames of your youthfulness?"

"Yosh, Gai-sensei! I am learning new things every day and I shall prove that being a Genius of Hard Work allows even one who cannot use Chakra to become a truly great Shinobi!"

Naruto smiled at Lee's entheusiasm. "It went great, Gai-sensei. Today, most of the class started to learn the leaf exercise. After I caused it to explode for the fourth time, they agreed to let me practice by doing the tree-walking and water-walking."

"Naruto-nii-kun and myself had a most youthful spar today!" Lee added. "We fought each other to a standstill, showing that our Flames of Youth were undiminished!"

"Excellent! I have prepared another meal to provide fuel for your Flames of Youth." Gai said expansively as he waved them in. From where he was sitting at the steel-braced table, Kakashi gave a lazy wave, sliding an orange book into his pocket as he did so.

"You need to eat well so your Flames of Youth remain undimmed! Is that not so, my eternal rival?"

"Hmmm? You say something, Gai?"

"Arrrgh! Once again with that Hip and Too Cool attitude, Kakashi!"

Naruto managed to stifle his snickers as he sat down and looked at the food before him. Gai-sensei, for all his eccentricities, was undoubtably the best chef he had ever met.

"Good afternoon."

"Ah, Hokage-sama. Please, come in, be seated. We were just about to eat." Gai declaimed and Naruto looked across.

"Hi, Jiji!"

"Hello, Naruto, Lee, Kakashi." Hiruzen smiled, removing his hat and sitting down as Gai started to serve the meal. "I hope you don't mind me joining you, but I wanted to check on how you were doing. You are half-way through the first year, is everything going well?"

"Sure is!" Naruto grinned. "I've made several new friends and… thanks, Gai-sensei, this looks wonderful, as always. Ummm, where was I, ah yes. Several new friends and I've learned loads. Some of it is a bit boring, but Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei said that if I wanted to be one of the best ninja ever, I should learn it, so I did."

"That's good to hear." Hiruzen said, then he shifted his attention across. "And Lee, how is your studying going?"

"My flames of youth are truly being fanned to a veritable inferno of youthful energy and passion with the studying at the academy and the spars I have with my most youthful friend Naruto here!" Lee said eagerly. "I am making progress despite my handicap and I hope to join the ranks of the Shinobi under our command, where I shall prove that being a genius of hard work is superior to being a genius of simple skill!"

Naruto hid a smirk at Hiruzen's blank and slightly dazed expression.

"I… see. That is… good to hear. Oh, thanks, Gai. Mmmm, this smells wonderful!"


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note - I still don't own Naruto. If I did, Naruto would have learned more about his parents.

Further chapters will be uploaded when completed, this download will give you 4 new chapters to read. Enjoy.  
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**Chapter Five – Restart**

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"Welcome back my two favourite cute students! I have made a marvellous repast to celebrate… your… your flames of youth seem diminished. What happened?"

Kakashi seemed to appear behind Gai and stared at the duo. Lee was wearing his Hitai-ate like a belt, the same way that Gai did and once again Kakashi had to restrain himself from sighing. Despite his best efforts to persuade him otherwise, Lee had insisted on moulding himself in the image and style of the Jonin who had seen the potential in him and found him a sparring partner to help him maximise his potential. Naruto, though…

"Naruto-kun, where is your Hitai-ate?" Kakashi asked, his voice filled with concern. Naruto sighed.

"I don't have one."

Kakashi froze in shock while Gai raised his eyebrows.

"How is that possible, Naruto-kun? I know that Kakashi drilled you in Henge, Kawarimi and Kage Bunshin until you could do all three without seals, and both he and I have taught you all the other things you needed to know, so how could you have not passed?"

"The exainers made a most unyouthful decision and disallowed the Kage Bunshin." Lee said, watching worriedly as Naruto trudged through the doorway. "They said that the test called for a pure Bunshin, and that if Naruto could not perform such a jutsu, he could not pass."

"And with Naruto's chakra reserves, he is unable to use a pure Bunshin and probably never will." Kakashi growled, clenching his fists. "Dammit! I was sure that he'd pass with flying colours… I should have followed your example and made him my apprentice, Gai. If I go the Hokage now, maybe I can…"

Gai turned and placed his hand firmly on Kakashi's shoulder.

"Kakashi, whilst Lee is now my student, along with two others, Naruto is more than welcome to join my team for training. In addition, I shall ensure whenever I am not leading my team, I will be there to help Naruto continue to refine his control. When the next exam comes around…"

"I'll take Naruto as my apprentice then so that they can't sabotage his passing." Kakashi nodded, then he blinked. "It just occurred to me. This way, he has a chance to meet students his own age, rather than those a year or two older than him."

Gai nodded, then frowned. "I heard that the Last Uchiha is in that year. As the only other Sharingan wielder in Konoha…"

"He will be assigned to my team." Kakashi finished with a sigh. "I hear he's an arrogant snob, but with Naruto, I know that at least I'll have _one_ pupil I can get along with. Even if you have corrupted him somewhat with your… youthfulness."

"He has combined my youthfulness with your hip and too cool attitude, creating something unique." Gai smiled, looking across to where Lee was talking quietly to Naruto. "I shall train him for the next few weeks until the academy restarts, maybe trying to wear him out will keep him from brooding, although with his stamina, that will be tricky."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "I have nothing useful at this time. Tell me if you need help with anything."

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"Good morning class, and welcome to your final year. We have a new student joining us, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto nodded at the students facing him, his eyes darting across as he tried to identify them.

'_Hmmm, that one's an Akamichi, hard to mistake that body shape. Shades and big coat, no expression, has to be an Abarume. The sleepy one is obviously a Nara, the blond girl… Yamanaka. Wonder if I'm a Yamanaka, they're the only other blonds in the village other than me. Emo boy has to be Uchiha Sasuke…wow, his hair looks just like a duck's butt, how does he get it like that? Boy with dog… obviously an Inuzuka. Dark-haired girl with pale eyes, Hyuuga? Doesn't seem stuck-up like Neji, wonder if she's his sister or something. Pink hair…what? Pink? Okay, I got nothing. I have no clue what clan she comes from. I wonder what her special skill is?'_

"…NARUTO!"

Naruto jolted. "Yes Iruka-sensei? What did you say?"

Iruka sighed. "I can believe Kakashi helped to raise you. I said can you please introduce yourself to the class."

"Oh! Sorry. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I've studied under Hatake Kakashi-sensei who know hundreds of Jutsus and Maito Gai-sensei who is the best Taijitsu master in the village. I often spar with Gai's student Rock Lee, who is the only person my age strong enough for me to be able to fight with without having to hold back too much. My likes are making friends, cooking, learning stuff and ramen. I dislike those who judge others without getting to know them first, and those who try to bully others. And my special skill is a Kekkai Genkai which means I'm awesomely strong."

"How strong are you?"

Naruto managed to hide his surprise. The question had come from the Nara boy, who was sitting up and staring at him.

"I don't really know. I once punched a log almost out of Konoha and threw a kunai through a target dummy and several trees."

"And two walls, a sofa, a table, a door and into another wall." Iruka sighed. "That throw is legendary, and the reason why Naruto is excused target practice at the Academy. As for sparring, none of you can hope to defeat him in a straight taijitsu fight."

Naruto nodded. "Only Gai-sensei and Lee-nii-san can beat me."

Sasuke scoffed. "Like we'd fall for that. You must be a real dobe to think you could get away with claiming that."

Iruka stared at the Uchiha for a moment, then glanced at the other adult in the room, who looked back at him.

"Alright… Sasuke, I give you permission to spar with Naruto after lunch. Naruto, please be gentle with him. In the meantime, there's a spare seat by Hinata. Hinata, please raise your hand."

The Hyuuga girl raised her right hand and Naruto walked over and sat down, mentally thanking Kami that he had _finally_ managed to get his control to a level where he could pass for a slightly stronger than normal boy as long as he paid attention to what he was doing.

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"Go Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto winced slightly as the shrieks of the fan-girls assaulted his ears and Sasuke took position opposite him, a superior smirk on his face.

"You face the last Uchiha, Uzumaki. Surrender now and you won't get hurt."

Naruto hid a grin. This was just too perfect. "Hmmm, did you say something?"

Sasuke's expression instantly darkened as Naruto imitated Kakashi. Growling slightly, he dropped into a stance that Naruto recognised.

'_The Intercepting Fist, hmmmm? But he hasn't activated his Sharingan yet, so that leaves several open spots I can capitalise on.'_

"Begin!"

Even as Sasuke tensed, preparing to attack, Naruto moved. Holding his strength back meant very little in relation to his speed and he had been practicing with Gai and Lee _sans_ weights. To the watchers, he seemed to vanish and reappear just in front of Sasuke, pushing his hand into Sasuke's face, then he was gone and reappearing behind Sasuke, striking out even as Sasuke jolted back from the first impact. Six more strikes and Naruto returned to his starting position as if he had never moved, while Sasuke staggered, trying not to fall over as he recovered from the high-speed series of light slaps.

"Sensei, I learned a certain Taijitsu move from Kakashi-sensei. If Sasuke refuses to forfeit now that I have shown just how outmatched he is, I _will_ use the secret village jutsu on him."

Iruka paled. He had seen Kakashi use it, and knew exactly what Naruto was referring to. By his side, Mizuki scoffed.

"You're bluffing. Why would Kakashi teach _you_ of all people?"

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged as Sasuke managed to pull himself back into his starting stance. "Perhaps because we live under the same roof?"

"Do your worst, dobe." Sasuke sneered. "I'm ready for you this time."

"Naruto, don't…!" Iruka started to shout, but it was too late. Naruto had moved, his hands forming the Tiger seal.

"_Ultimate secret village technique, one thousand years of pain_!"

With a stangled scream, Sasuke was launched into the air, both hands clasped on his behind. His fading scream was the only sound anyone heard, as almost everyone else was staring in horrified amazement at Naruto, who was half-crouched with his hands thrust out in front of him.

A distant splash announced that Sasuke had made contact with the pond.

"…do it." Iruka finished with a sigh. "You know, there are few ways that are both more painful _and_ humiliating to defeat an opponant without doing damage that needs medical treatment. I think I need to speak to Kakashi about what he's taught you."

"Gai-sensei taught me too, Iruka-sensei." Naruto said, causing those who knew Gai (or knew about him) to stare at him, jaws dropped in shock. "He said that my flames of youth are amongst the brightest he has ever seen."

Iruka shook his head and glanced over at the assembled (and still shocked) audience.

"Okay, I am outlawing _that_ move for all future spars in the Academy grounds. And if anyone is idiotic enough to take on the student of both Kakashi and Gai _outside_ the Academy, they deserve whatever they get. Naruto, how long have they been teaching you?"

Naruto frowned. "Well, Gai-sensei started teaching me to control my Kekkei Genkai a bit after I turned five, he waited until my seventh birthday to start my taijitsu instruction. Kakashi-sensei started me out on chakra control at the same time, you know, the whole tree-walking and water-walking thing, and he also started to teach me ninjitsu when I turned seven. So… say six years for control and a bit over four for the rest."

"How the _hell_ did you fail your graduation exam?" Iruka asked, a shocked expression on his face. Naruto shrugged.

"I have too much chakra to do a pure Bunshin and the examiners refused to accept any other sort. Kakashi-sensei's taught me several other sorts. The first one that he taught me was the Kage Bunshin, which I use loads for training, and after that exam fiasco, he taught me the water clone, fire clone and earth clone techniques. I think it was so that the examiners would look like total morons if they tried to fail me for that reason again."

Iruka blinked several times. "You know… _four_ different clone jutsus?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Gai-sensei's taught me three different taijitsu styles, but not the Goken. That one he reserved for Lee, who's his apprentice and I understand his reasons. Goken makes you stronger as you learn it, and I'm way too strong as is. He's also taught me physical and mental self-control, and cooking, so I really owe him. Kakashi taught me to read, do maths, history and almost fifty different jutsus. He even tested my affinity, it's wind, by the way, and he said that he's going to try and arrange lessons for me in how to use it."

Iruka looked dazed by the revelations, as did several of the other students.

"And with all of that, you failed because of a _plain Bunshin_?" Iruka asked. "What in Kami's name were those examiners thinking? I am _so_ going to have to persuade the Hokage to change the graduating requirements because of this."

"I wouldn't bother." Naruto drawled. "The Civilian Council's responsible for the Academy, and they're trying to screw things so that more civilian kids get waved through. That's why the genin-test failure rate has gone waaaaay up. Anyone not of a ninja clan's pretty much screwed since the Academy doesn't cover the things that Ninja _really_ need to know. Nutritional requirements, physical conditioning and fitness levels, Hinata over there's the only Academy Kunoichi from this year that I'd think has a clue on _that_ one, situational awareness, the art of camouflage and hiding, not wearing bright colours like pink or red… the standard things that give you a chance of not dying in your first mission outside Konoha. Instead, we learn about dead guys and shinobi rules that don't work when actually applied. If I hadn't been taught what I have, I'd have been really screwed when I finally made it out there. "

For almost a minute, silence ruled as everyone stared at Naruto. He looked round and shrugged.

"What? I learned from the best. And when I do get out there, I'll prove how good I am."

Iruka shook his head. "But if you need to perform a standard Bunshin, and you have too much Chakra for it…"

"Meh, I'll be fine." Naruto said dismissively. "Kakashi-sensei filled in the paperwork yesterday and the Hokage approved it. At the end of the year, pass or fail, I'm going on his team as his apprentice, like Lee is for Gai. Would be there already, but none of us thought the examiner would be such a stuck-up moron. Oh, hi, teme! Enjoy your swim?"

From beside Iruka, the dripping figure of Sasuke glowered.

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"Could it be true?" Sakura said as she sat beside Ino, both of them looking at their light lunches.

"Could what be true?"

"What Naruto-baka said." Sakura said, poking at her salad. "I mean, I'm about the only civilian that is near the top, everyone else is from a clan. And most of the reason that I'm near the top is because I do so well in the tests, and they're all history and stuff."

"I… don't know." Ino mused. "Dad's been telling me to eat more and Mom's been trying to add more to my lunch box, but I don't want to get fat. But from what he said about Hinata being the only one of us who has a clue about that… she eats more than we do, but…"

Sakura nodded, glancing over to where Hinata was sat beside Naruto, listening to him and occasionally turning red.

"My dad warned me not to try and use my family's Jutsu on Naruto." Ino added. "He said that if I survived doing so, he'd lock me away for being so Kami-damned stupid. Who _is_ Naruto? What do we know about him?"

"He's an orphan." Sakura said, her brow creased in concentration. "My mum mentioned that he was born on the day the Kyuubi attackedand he lost both parents to the Kyuubi…"

"Then that's the place to start." Ino said firmly. "Tomorrow we hit the archives. I'll bring Choji and Shikamaru along. Shika's lazy, but brilliant. You know paperwork, Choji can help us move stuff around… yep, we'll hit the archives tomorrow, and see how much we can find out about him."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – Archive Panic**

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"Sakura! Overe here!"

Sakura walked up and smiled at her friend and rival.

"Ino. Shikamaru. Choji. Sorry I'm late."

"We've only just arrived ourselves." Ino said, glaring at Shikamaru . "Lazy-ass here wanted to spend all day either in bed or cloud-watching."

"Troublesome blond." Shikamaru groused. Ino elbowed him.

"Okay. Let's go!"

As they entered the records hall, Sakura pulled out a sheet of paper and unfolded it.

"I wrote down everything I knew or could remember about Naruto, as well as my deductions."

Shikamaru took the sheet and scanned it quickly. "Uzumaki Naruto, born Sep 10th, day of Kyuubi attack. Both parents killed in said attack, blond hair and blue eyes, whisker birth-marks. Kekkei Genkai grants enhanced strength and toughness, able to throw Kunai through multiple walls, able to defeat any academy student in combat, able to beat Sasuke-kun… Sasuke-_kun_? Taught by Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi, knows four clone types. Knows approximately fifty jutsu, total may include clones. Good start, Sakura. You forgot hated by majority of village for unknown reason, but good start."

Sakura nodded as Ino halted, looking round.

"Here we are. Records from the Kyuubi attack. Okay, first we check for any Uzumaki's."

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"Uzumaki Kushina." Ino read from the file. "Female Jonin, formerly of Whirlpool. Well, since she's the only Uzumaki we've been able to find, I guess that she's probably Naruto's mom. Shika?"

"There _is_ a family resemblance in the facial structure." Shikamaru said after examining the picture in the file and the photo of Naruto that they had brought with them. "Overall, I would say, very likely."

Ino nodded. "She looks a bit like him, and she has his surname. So where do his eyes and hair come from?"

"His dad?" Choji asked and Ino nodded.

"I agree. We need to find all the blond Shinobi who died that day, then sort out the ones with blue eyes! Shika, keep reading, try to get confirmation that she's Naruto's mom. Sakura, Choji, let's search! Blond hair and blue eyes."

Sakura nodded and started to work her way through the files. The first dozen or so were all Aburame with black hair, then other colours started to appear. Brown, red, silver. The first blond appeared, but he had green eyes, so Sakura returned the file to the shelf, mentally noting its location as she continued to work her way through the many files. After half an hour of searching, only two files had been placed on the table.

"Who'd have thought!" Choji exclaimed. "Blond hair is really, really rare in Konoha. I only found four male blonds, and only one had blue eyes."

"Seven and none respectively." Sakura said, wiping her forehead before the sweat could drip into her eyes.

"Four and one." Ino said. "Choji, who did you find?"

Choji opened the file, looked at the name and swallowed. "Yamanaka Kenshin. Chunin."

Ino pulled the file across and stared at the picture for several minutes, then shook her head. "Hair's the wrong shade of blond, too light, and he looks nothing like Naruto."

"Then this will be troublesome." Shikamaru said, looking up from the other folder. "This one has hair and eyes _exactly_ the same as Naruto, and similar facial features. In fact, Naruto could almost be this guy reborn."

Ino leaned over, her eyes going straight to the picture. "Kami, you're right about his looks, Naruto is going to gow up _hot_! Dammit, I may have to challenge Hinata for him. Same grin, his eyes are the same, who is… no way. There is no way… I can't believe it… we must have missed another blond in the archives…"

Sakura leaned over and glanced at the picture. Sure enough, the man in it looked _exactly_ like a de-whiskered, aged-up Naruto. Then she saw the name and her jaw dropped.

"Naruto's dad is the Yondaime Hokage?!"

Choji leaned over to look. "Wow, must be. I mean, just look at him."

"They both died in a cave outside Konoha." Shikamaru said slowly as he scanned the data. "He died from severe abdominal wounds and… and performing a classified jutsu. She died from severe abdominal wounds and… childbirth complications. Too many coincidences. Must be them. Troublesome."

Ino and Sakura stared at each other, unable to speak. No-one noticed the pale-eyed dark-haired girl who had been shadowing them hurry out of the archives, her eyes wide in shock.

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"Why do you keep _staring_ at me?" Naruto half-yelled, causing Iruka to look up from marking the papers in front of him. "You lot keep staring at me as if I've grown another head or something!"

Iruka glanced at the rest of the class. Sakura, whose gaze was normally fixated on Sasuke, was indeed staring at Naruto, her eyes filled with an odd mixture of disbelief and shock. Ino was also staring intently at Naruto, while Choji's gaze was interested, but placid. Shikamaru was actually awake and was glancing at Naruto with a calculating air.

Hinata was also glancing at Naruto, but Iruka mentally marked that as normal, because she had been doing that since the first day he had joined the class. Iruka sighed and prepared the Jutsu that always worked in situations like this.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND PAY ATTENTION!"

Releasing the Big Head Jutsu, Iruka smirked as everyone's attention snapped back to the front of the classroom. "Now, the lesson for today is…"

"The defeat of the Kyuubi!" Ino half-shouted as she rose from her seat. "Sir, how did the Fourth _actually_ defeat the Kyuubi? What role did Uzumaki Kushina from Whirlpool play? Was Kushina _really_ Naruto's mother? Why was she on the front lines despite having just given birth? Did she have the same Bloodlimit that Naruto has? Did the Yondaime have a bloodlimit? What happened…"

"INO, SHUT UP A MOMENT!"

Ino paled and sat down as Iruka used the Big Head Jutsu again, but her litany of questions had caught the attention of everyone in the classroom.

"Ino, many of those answers are classified. I am not allowed to answer them at this time. What I can tell you is what you already know, that the Kyuubi attacked Konoha and the Fourth used a very powerful Jutsu to defeat it, at the cost of his life."

"Defeat, not kill." Shikamara said, his body tense. "The Yondaime was a master of Fuuinjitsu, better even than Jiraiya of the Sannin. He probably used a seal to defeat the Kyuubi, but what happened to it? All that chakra must have gone somewhere…"

"What sort of seal could hold something like the Kyuubi?" Sakura asked, following Shikamara's logic. "What container would be strong enough?"

Iruka and Mizuki were both sweating.

"The reaction of our teachers indicates that your speculations are more accurate than they are currently comfortable with." Shino said from the back of the classroom. "I admit to curiosity about the fate of the Kyuubi. My clan experimented with seals to complement our fighting style, but all those who tried were unable to master Fuuinjitsu to the required degree. We did,however, learn quite a bit about sealing in the process. The Kyuubi was an incredibly strong entity, whatever it was sealed into would have needed to be a living being with a chakra system to imprison the Kyuubi, otherwise the youkai of the Kyuubi would have caused extreme strain on the container, causing it to break and releasing the Kyuubi to continue its actions from where it was interrupted."

Sakura turned white and stared at Naruto, as did Ino.

"What?"

"This is beyond troublesome." Shikamaru groused. "If you take a Kunai and seal it into a scroll, does that turn the scroll into the Kunai? Shino has Kikkai inside him, does that mean he is a Kikkai? Anyone who thinks so is being stupid, and that is just so troublesome."

'_**This is bad, kit.'**_ Kyuubi's voice sounded inside Naruto's mind. _'__**Looks like both your secrets are out.'**_

'_Both?'_ Naruto thought, still looking at Sakura and Ino. _'What do you mean both?'_

A sigh sounded in the back of his mind. _**'The way those two are staring at you, and what that kid just said, they know that I'm sealed inside you. And the questions about Bloodlimits earlier, they either know or suspect your parentage.'**_

"Wait a minute!" Naruto gasped, not realising he was speaking aloud. "Are you saying my mom was Kushina and my dad..?"

"Troublesome, but it seems that way." Shikamaru said, lowering his head onto his folded arms. "Take away the whiskers and you could be the Yondaime reborn. I don't know why no-one ever saw it, heck, I don't know why _I_ never saw it, it's such a drag."

The entire class was staring at Naruto.

"Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, stay behind. Everyone else, lessons are over for the day. Go."

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Hiashi raised an eyebrow in query as he looked into the Hyuuga Archive and saw his eldest daughter searching the files, muttering under her breath as she did so. Moving silently to just behind her, he listened to her mutters.

"Marriage contract… marriage contract… I _know_ I saw it here somewhere when I was helping Ko-san sorting out the filing system… marriage contr… Aha! Let's see… As requested by Uzumaki Kushina, wife of… wife? Ino and Shikamaru were right… and witnessed by Hiashi Hyuuga and Namikaze Minato, it is agreed… unmarked by the Cage Bird Seal… into the Namikaze clan… Oh, Kami! I was right! Ino, Sakura and Shikamaru were right!"

"About what?"

Hinata leapt into the air with a high-pitched _Eeeeep!_ before spinning round, eyes wide. "T… t… tou-san… wha… what are… are you…"

"I could ask the same question, daughter." Hiashi said with a frown. "Should you not still be at the Academy?"

"They l… let us out early, t… tousan." Hinata said, looking down. "B… but we l… learned something in cl… class that I had t… to check."

"And what did you learn?" Hiashi asked coldly. Hinata took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"That Uzumaki Naruto is the son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage." She said softly, but clearly. Hiashi froze.

"That… can't be right. The council confirmed that Minato's entire family died during the Kyuubi attack and that the one who was tasked with a certain burden was given her name to honour her sacrifice."

"Then why did the Yondaime choose Naruto to be the vessel of the Kyuubi?" Hinata asked, deepening Hiashi's shock even more. "Who could he trust to hold that burden, other than his own son?"

Hiashi's eyes widened further. It had been the council who had announced the deaths of the entire Namikaze clan, but they had done so before Hiruzen had returned to the position of Hokage. And as for Naruto, Danzo had kept insisting that the boy be given to him, but what if it was for more than being turned into Konoha's weapon? If he was Minato's son, he stood to inherit a fortune, as well as the Jutsu stored in the sealed Namikaze mansion. The thought of what Danzo could do with the Hraishin and the Rasengan, not to mention the scrolls on Fuuinjitsu that Minato was reputed to have written, was terrifying.

Lost in his thoughts, Hiashi failed to see Hinata sneak away, the contract secure in her hands.

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Sarutobi looked at the trio of students in front of him, then rubbed his forehead.

"Let me get this straight. Because of your curiosity and inability to keep quiet, one of the S-ranked secrets of the village has been released and is undoubtably being spread, while you came so close to releasing a second one, that coincidentally has the potential to totally ruin the life of the person it is about, that even _I_ cannot fathom how no-one else picked up on it. Have I missed anything?"

"This is such a drag." Shikamaru sighed. "I'm assuming the first secret was Naruto's parents. I must point out that keeping it a secret even from Naruto is just wrong. He deserved to know. The only real reason I can come up with for not telling him is that by not telling him, he would not look for an inheritance and thus it could be taken away from him without causing a big investigation."

"It was to protect Naruto!" Hiruzen snapped. "His father made many enemies, enemies who would stop at nothing to see the Namikaze line driven to extinction!"

"Naruto has _insane_ levels of speed and strength, lives with and studies under the two strongest Jonin in Konoha and is more advanced than a chunin." Shikamaru stated. "If he cannot defend himself, then over half of the ninja of Konoha need to reconsider their employment. How much does he stand to inherit?"

Hiruzen pulled out a folder and flipped it open. Shikamaru looked at the first page and his eyebrows almost hit his hairline.

"Wow! He could destroy the economy of the village by deciding to move it to the capital."

"How much is it?" Sakura asked. "The Haruno clan are responsible for almost four percent of Konoha's financial reserves."

Shika showed her the number and Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "How?"

"The Uzumaki fortune." Hiruzen sighed. "When Whirlpool fell, most of its wealth was smuggled out by the few survivors and Naruto's mother inherited it. And it wasn't my choice to try and deny it to him!"

"But you're the Hokage." Ino protested. "You can do what you want."

"But he is just one man." Shikamaru said. "An old man who retired from the job once and who only took it back after his successor died. He doesn't want this job, but there is no-one else he can trust to do it. I would guess that keeping Naruto ignorant of his legacy was the price of support from the civilian council in exchange for not tormenting him directly as he holds the Kyuubi."

Hiruzen nodded and Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome. If you haven't been building up support for yourself, things are about to become a real drag. Naruto is technically a ninja at the moment, but if he leaves the academy, he'll become a civilian, giving him the right to leave at any time. As the last of his clan, he has the right to demand all his clans belongings so he can re-establish his clan elsewhere… including any symbols…"

Shikamaru trailed off and Hiruzen nodded slowly.

"Including the spiral that is part of the Leaf and the one on the Jonin jackets." He said soberly. "Should Naruto decide to leave, Konoha will become the laughing tock of the Shinobi world, and the damned civilian council refuse to understand! They see the fox, not the boy. And nothing I can say makes them think otherwise."

Ino and Sakura exchanged a glance, then Sakura raised her hand.

"Umm, we're sorry about the whole parent-thing, we didn't know it was meant to be a secret. Although it wasn't actually all that well-hidden, you should have removed his mother's files if you had wanted it to be a secret…"

"I thought it had been removed." Hiruzen grumped.

"…and as for the Kyuubi thing, apart from us, I think only Shino really figured it out, and he has bugs in him, so he won't be freaked by it and everyone else will be talking about him being the Yondaime's son, so I think that _that_ secret is still secure…"

Hiruzen sighed and nodded. "You're probably right. As you were unaware that it was meant to be a secret, you won't be punished this time, but next time you decide to investigate something, for Kami's sake check in first with ANBU, myself or one of the clan heads _before_ going public with it."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." "Hai!" "Understood. How troublesome."

"Dismissed."

The three students fled before Sarutobi could change his mind. He sat back, massaging his head for a moment, then spoke again.

"Are you sure he'll forgive me for this?"

The air in the corner of the room seemed to shimmer, then Gai and Kakashi appeared.

"Naruto will not blame you." Gai said soberly. "I am certain he will understand that the knowledge of his parentage was kept from him for his own safety."

"I agree with Gai on this." Kakashi said. "Yes, I know. Rare. But he's right. Naruto will understand, but you need to speak to him about it. And not here. He'll need to be somewhere familiar and reassuring."

Gai and Kakashi exchanged a glance, then Gai nodded.

"Hokage-sama, will you be available to visit for tea?"

"I shall." Hiruzen said slowly. "And afterwards, given how many secrets have spilled, I think I shall take Naruto to his father's mansion. Kakashi, will you come as well?"

"It'll be good to see it again." Kakashi said with a smile. "I'll show him where the Jutsu vault is. Maybe he can learn the Hiraishin."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – Realisations And Examinations**

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Naruto pretended to pay attention to what Iruka was saying, but it was hard. His mind kept leaping back to three months prior when the Hokage had confirmed his heritage, explained how he had ended up with the Kyuubi sealed inside him (as if he didn't already know from his discussions with the Biju in question) and had taken Naruto to see his family home and claim the Jutsu scrolls stored there.

That was when things had started to go horribly wrong.

The first sign was when instead of reacting correctly to Naruto's blood and dispelling, the seal on the main gate had shattered, causing the gate to crack. Kakashi had gone pale at that and, at Naruto's query, explained that the seal had been tampered with.

Someone had broken into the mansion.

The mansion itself had been hidden by some trees, which may have explained why no-one had seen it burn down. Under Kakashi's direction, Naruto had unearthed the entrance to the Jutsu vault and found that the seal to the vault had been broken as well.

Hiruzen had gone white upon discovering that.

Inside the vault, however, it became obvious that the last of the security seals had done their job. The scrolls that had been stored there had been reduced to piles of ash, the only recognisable parts being the metal end-caps. The end-caps of the scrolls containing the Rasengan and Hiraishin had been identified by Kakashi, so whoever had managed to break through had not been able to actually secure any of the Jutsu.

Hiruzen's guess was that the thief, whoever he or she was, had burned down the mansion after realising that the Jutsu of the Yondaime had, quite literally, gone up in smoke. However, the main problem was that with the mansion and its contents destroyed, Naruto was unable to access the Namikaze/Uzumaki wealth, even with the Hokage's backing.

Whoever the thief was, he or she had destroyed Naruto's inheritance. And since Jiraiya of the Sannin had, at Hiruzen's request, placed Naruto's birth certificate and other documents in the house since he was one of the few the Seal was set to recognise, the paperwork proving Naruto's lineage was gone.

And the Civilian Council had pounced on that opportunity, officially denying that he was the Yondaime's son, quoting the total lack of paperwork in his favour, a move supported by none of the Clan Heads, but by the three Advisors, over-ruling Hiruzen.

For some reason, Hinata had been incredibly upset over the Council's decision to officially disinherit him. Naruto himself had been almost incandescent with rage, as was the Kyuubi. However, it had been Hinata who had talked him out of going directly after the Council, she had proven herself a true friend and valued comrade.

If only she could stop turning red. Naruto was getting worried about what could be wrong with her to cause such a thing.

No-one ever discovered who painted whiskers on the Yondaime's face, thus showing the resemblance between Naruto and Minato. At the time it was done, Naruto was facing the Council, trying to argue his case.

Naruto had, however, been the one to single-handedly (literally) demolish the new plaque celebrating the most recent (and not-so-recent) members of the Civilian Council. He had been let off by the Hokage with a verbal warning.

As much as 'Try not to get caught next time' could be considered a warning, anyway.

After that incident, Naruto stopped trying at the Academy, often skipping class for a week at a time and taking out his frustrations on the wildlife in the Forest of Death. In a bizarre coincidence, the councillors who had voted to deny Naruto his heritage had discovered that almost none of the village's ninja would take missions for them any more, and the missions that _were_ taken invariably ended up failing in a very expensive way, usually one that was humiliating to the councillor or their family. Already, several councillors had resigned and fled Konoha with their families. The message to the other councillors from the ninja was clear. _Mess with one of ours, and you will live to regret it_.

Unfortunately, since the council's decision had been countersigned by the Daimyo, Hiruzen couldn't reverse it even after the councillors had fled.

On the plus side, Naruto had gained a few pets and was trying to train them. The Inuzuka had their ninken, Naruto was trying to train the giant white tigers.

Much to his shock, they had learned from him how to tree-walk and water-walk. He hadn't actually been trying to teach them that at the time and was now somewhat leery of using Jutsu around them just in case they managed to copy it. They were definitely far more intelligent than anyone had given them credit for.

Plus, they were so much fun to wrestle with. While he still had to hold back, he could work up a sweat against them.

"…and that wraps up this lesson." Iruka said, glancing at Shikamaru, who was half-asleep on his desk and Naruto, who was glaring out of the window. "The test is on monday, so all of you are reminded to show up on time."

Naruto snorted and Iruka sighed.

"…all except Naruto, who is being taken on as an apprentice and as such will be given a conditional pass anyway." He said resignedly.

"Sensei, did the exam requirements change since last year?" Sakura asked giving Naruto a slightly scared look. She still remembered the time that she had mentioned the Council's decision about Naruto's family status as relayed to her by her mother, and Naruto had proceeded to smash a boulder into gravel with repeated punches, threatening to do the same to her and her mother should Sakura ever bring up that subject again.

Sakura had believed him, and had warned her mother that it would be… unwise to make any other move against Naruto.

And that she would rather not be on the same team as him.

"…There has been no change since last year." Iruka confirmed, giving Naruto a concerned glance. Naruto shrugged.

"The Civilian Council don't want to let me become a ninja." He said harshly. "They've already stolen my family and my money, they want to steal my dreams as well. That's why they insist on a_ normal_ Bunshin, they know I'm too damned powerful to do one."

Sakura looked away guiltily as Iruka nooded with an expression of pained agreement. Naruto stood up and slid the window open.

"I'll be back for the team assignments, but right now, I need to find one of my cats and get some fuzz-therapy and relaxation."

Everyone blinked a few times, then Hinata spoke up.

"Did anyone else know that he has a cat? I didn't."

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Kakashi stared in shock at the sight before him. Iruka had told him that Naruto had skipped lessons (again), so he had used his skill as a tracker and followed his ward into the Forest of Death. Given Naruto's insane strength and skills (which were, as Kakashi admitted to himself, pretty close to Jonin level), he didn't think that much in the forest would be a danger.

He had not been prepared for what he had found.

In a clearing, Naruto was relaxing, leaning against one of the giant tigers of the forest. That in itself would have been enough to stop most ninja in their tracks, but there were over a dozen adult tigers surrounding Naruto and his purring back-rest and several… kittens, for lack of a better term.

And Naruto had one of the kittens in his lap, purring happily as he stroked it, as the mother watched placidly.

As if _that_ wasn't enough, one of the tigers that was moving round had walked across the stream. Not _through_ it, _across_ it.

The damn things knew how to use Chakra!

And Naruto was petting one of them! No, _two_ of them now.

Kakashi idly wondered if he would survive the test that he had been planning to give Naruto and the other two on the team he was being assigned.

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"All right class, when I call your name, come through for the final part of the test." Iruka said. "Aburame Shino, You're first."

The bug user rose from his seat and followed Iruka into the testing room. The others watched him go, then Sakura spoke up.

"I… I'm not sure I should try to pass. I might end up on Naruto's team, and after what my mother did to him… I'm not sure I'd survive."

Kiba snorted. "I wouldn't worry so much. He holds grudges, but only against those who actually set out to hurt him. _You're_ safe. Your mom, not so much."

Sakura winced and Hinata glared at Kiba. "Stop worrying her like that. Sakura, just ignore him and stop worrying. N…Naruto isn't here today, so just do your best."

"Akamichi Choji."

The large boy swallowed as he left the room, passing Shino who was wearing a Hitai-ate.

"You passed, well done, Shino." Hinata said. Shino inclined his head in acknowledgement, then moved to the corner of the room.

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"Are you bloody nuts?!" Kakashi half-yelled, glaring at Homura. "You know the rules, I can only have one apprentice, and I already have one! I _can't_ have the Uchiha assigned to me as my apprentice!"

"The council has decided otherwise." Homara said, trying not to sweat under the killing intent that Kakashi was leaking despite his self-control. "As the only other Sharingan wielder in Konoha, you are vital to the development of the Uchiha and the eventual re-establishment of his clan. Therefore, Uchiha Sasuke is your new apprentice, irrespective of him passing the second Genin test."

"And Naruto?" Kakashi ground out through clenched teeth.

"As he did not show up at the test last week, he has been marked as having failed. Furthermore, his absence and previous failure means that he will not be allowed to retake his test."

Kakashi closed his eyes as he concentrated on not cutting the throat of the elder in front of him. His muscles tensed for a few minutes, then he opened his eye again.

"You have just made a big mistake." He said quietly. "Deny him the right to be a ninja and he will have no reason to stay."

"If he leaves, he will be charged with treason." Homara half-whispered and Kakashi laughed sarcastically.

"You declared that he has failed, that makes him a civilian and thus he can leave whenever he wishes. The Council declared him to be clanless, so you cannot use the clan laws to keep him here. And should you try to use force to restrain him… I have seen him at full strength. Even Maito Gai is not willing to go against him when he gets angry and what you have just done… I have taught him. He is at least upper-chunin level, possibly Jonin, and that's _before_ he gets experience."

Homura stared at him, going white as Kakashi continued.

"You have two days before Naruto is meant to meet me for his first official genin meeting. Two days before I have no choice but to tell him that the council has screwed him over _again_. Oh, did I mention that I recently taught him the Rasengan? At the time, he was still his father's son, and thus it was his heritage. Or that he can create over a thousand Kage Bunshin? I leave you to combine those two facts. Oh, one more thing you might find interesting. You know those giant tigers in the Forest of Death? Seems he's tamed them to his will, and they can use chakra. Puts the Inuzuka in the shade, doesn't it? I wonder which village will want him and his pets to start a new clan for them. Kumo perhaps?"

Kakashi stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked elder who was frantically trying to come up with a way of staving off the destruction that was looming.

"Danzo, what the hell did you think you were doing? This plan you came up with to claim him as a weapon for Konoha… you've doomed us all!"

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"You're shitting me, right?"

"Not at all." Hiruzen smiled. "The council pushed for and signed off on your promotion to full Jonin ten minutes ago."

Anko stared at the old man in near-shock. "But my past… who I was trained by… and all of a sudden they pull a turnaround and push for my promotion rather than try to have me removed from the Shinobi lists? What the hell happened?"

"It's actually quite amusing." Sarutobi said, a wide grin on his face. "The Civilian Council decided to try and undermine me, but realised too late that on this occasion I wasn't the one they should be scared of. When they realised how badly they had erred, they came to me begging for me to solve their problems for them. I managed to really put the screws on them, and your promotion was one of the results."

Anko grinned ferally. "Nice. So what's the catch?"

"Well," Hiruzen said, "You get an apprentice. He's already been trained somewhat by Kakashi and Gai, so…"

"Wait!" Anko interrupted, her grin widening. "I get promoted to Jonin _and_ get the gaki that everyone knows is the Yondaime's son, despite what the council claims? Sweet! When do I meet him?"

"Old man! Tell me _why_ I shouldn't rip the bloody council to shreds!"

Anko spun round and stared in shock. The reason for her surprise was not that Naruto had slammed through the doors, but that a pair of giant white tigers were behind him, rumbling with displeasure.

"Anko, meet Naruto, your apprentice in assassination and sabotage. Naruto, this is Jonin Mitarashi Anko, your new sensei."

Naruto froze, then looked at Anko, a grin forming on his face. "Assassination? Sabotage? Cool! Thanks Jiji! Oh, while I'm here, can I ask for a favour? It's about my name…"

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"So, gaki, tell me about yourself and your… pets?"

Naruto grinned down at Anko from his perch on the back of one of the tigers as they moved away from the Hokage tower down the rapidly-emptying road. "My name's Naruto. I was Uzumaki Naruto, then _Namikaze_ Uzumaki Naruto, but now I'm _Kagetora_ Naruto, first of my clan and friend of the tigers. I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and have a Kekkai Genkai that gives me totally awesome strength and speed. I train with Team 9, know almost a hundred Jutsu and can use three taijitsu styles. My genjitsu skills suck, but Kurenai-sensei taught me a way to disrupt genjitsu. I use Shuriken and Kunai and can throw them through rocks and boulders. I don't have a close-in weapon, but I haven't needed one yet. I'm studying up on seals and can already do storage seals and explosive tags, which I sell to Tenten's dad. I live in an old bunker, Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei live there too. Jiji said he meant it to be temporary until I got my dad's house, but it burned down before I could, then the council fucked things up so he made it so the bunker's in my name.

Anko nodded. "I heard Gai talking about that bunker. You really let him train his team there?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure. I helped Gai set up two of the barracks as guest areas for overnight guests and his team occasionally crashes there after one of his long training days."

"Do you have any spare rooms?" Anko asked and Naruto nodded.

"Yep! Three observation rooms, two barracks, a half-dozen storage rooms… even a cavern with a lake. Why?"

Anko shrugged. "My landlord doesn't like me and he's hiked my rent again. I was thinking…"

"Sure!" Naruto said. "Just let me handle the introductions, the tigers don't like it when people they don't know come."

Anko halted in her tracks. "Wait. The tigers live with you? I thought they lived in Training Area 44?"

"Yep, but they were losing too many cubs to the spiders. And those spiders are _nasty_." Naruto said. "They asked if I had a place they could be and since the bunker's in a wooded area, I said yes. Jiji's let me have all the woods around the bunker and it's really near the gate so the tigers can go out to hunt whenever they want."

"…how many tigers?" Anko asked in a faint voice. Naruto frowned.

"Ummm… I think about a hundred and fifty. More if you include the cubs. Is it important?"

Anko's eyes lit up. "Important? You have a hundred and fifty furry killing machines as your _pets_ and you think it isn't important? That's one of the coolest things I've ever come across! This is _amazing_! Does the Hokage know about the tigers?"

Naruto shrugged again. "I think so. I asked if I could keep some cats, he said yes."

Anko smirked.

"Kid, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Wait, the cats asked?"

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"…and in addition to emo-duckbutt and pink banshee, I got this ink-using pale kid who keeps going on about male genitalia, of all things." Kakashi groused to a grinning Gai as Naruto and Anko entered the main hall. "I'm telling you, I'd have handed my Hitai-ate back to the Hokage had he not told me that he's managed to get Naruto enlisted as the apprentice and sole genin of another Jonin… Naruto, you're back! Anko? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Gaki's teacher." Anko grinned. "Jonin Mitarashi Anko… heh, I'll never get tired of saying that, and my apprentice Kagetora Naruto. Hey, Gaki, introduce me to these kitties of yours so that I don't have to turn them into rugs for attacking me!"

"Sure thing. Guys, this is my new teacher, Anko! Jiji found her and she's gonna teach me loads. If you watch, you can learn too."

Anko glanced around, then something made her look up. Her eyes widened as she saw a dozen giant tigers looking down at her… from the ceiling! Naruto followed her gaze.

"I wouldn't worry, they won't fall on you. They're just practicing."

"…they can use chakra?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Equipment And Deployment**

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"Welcome to Higarashi's Weapons… Naruto!"

"Hi, Tenten!" Naruto called. "Anko-sensei, this is Tenten, she's one of Gai-sensei's students. Ten-chan, this is Mitarashi Anko, my jonin-sensei."

Anko nodded, then looked round. "This will take a while."

"What will?"

"Anko wants me to have a close-range weapon." Naruto said. "I want a naginata!"

"No." Tenten said firmly. "A naginata woudn't work for you, you'd probably snap it in the middle of battle."

Anko laughed as Naruto sulked. "You've probably got a better chance of finding something for Gaki here, so I'll leave you two to it. I hear dango calling me. Gaki, find me after you've got a weapon that works for you."

Tenten and Naruto watched her leave, then swapped glances. "Let me get my dad in, then we go to the storehouse and see what might work."

Naruto gazed round at the vast collection with a sense of mounting awe. Looking round he moved towards a rack of swords, only for Tenten to grab him by the shoulder.

"No."

"But I want a sword! Swords are cool!"

"No." Tenten said firmly. "A sword wouldn't work for you, you're too strong for a sword, you'd break them. Any sword strong enough to withstand being used by you would have to be custom-made… and very heavy… and… I need to talk to Anko. Let's go!"

Naruto couldn't understand how, despite his awesome strength, Tenten was able to tow him out of the shop without any apparent effort.

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"Welcome back! Come in! It's ready! Sorry it took so long to make."

Naruto almost bounced through the door, Anko following at a slower pace as she finished her dango.

"This way! Dad made it specially, he used thunderbolt iron to make it for extra strength and chakra metal so that you could use your elemental wind chakra. It's perfect for you!"

"Did the payment cover it all?" Anko asked and Tenten nodded.

"Yep, just. Anyway, it's through here, we made a sheath for it with a reinforced strap but you'll have to practice drawing it. What do you think?"

Anko stared in shock at the weapon in front of her. It was metal, it had a handle, but it was… it was…

"What _is_ that?"

Tenten grinned at Anko's shocked question. "This is the strongest sword in the world! The handle is reinforced with ninja-wire along it for grip and to stop it breaking in combat. The blade is thicker than a normal sword with a modified-wedge cross-section and a reinforced tip, allowing you to hit harder with it and if you place it against something and hit the back, it'll allow you to break through almost anything. The blade isn't very sharp under normal circumstances, but if you channel wind chakra through, the result is an edge that can cut anything except another chakra blade."

Anko reached down and grabbed the handle. Channeling chakra to her muscles, she tried to lift it.

"Damn, it's heavy! I can barely move it!"

Tenten nodded and waved for Naruto to try. He grabbed it and lifted it one-handed, causing Anko's eyes to widen in shock.

"This is really cool. Can I try it out?"

"There's a practice yard out the back."

Naruto bounced out into the yard, the weight of the sword not slowing him down in the slightest and Anko scrambled after him, hearing Tenten laughing behind her. She got through the door just in time to see Naruto raise the sword almost lazily above a giant boulder, then bring it down almost gently.

The boulder shattered.

"…wow." Anko whispered as Naruto examined the blade.

"Not a single chip… I like it!"

Anko stood motionless as Naruto bounced back inside. After a few minutes, her mind restarted and she found herself staring at a worried Tenten.

"Are you alright?"

"That is _not_ a sword." Anko stated in a shocked voice. "_That_ is a metal Tetsubo with an edge."

Tenten laughed. "Yep, pretty much. But it works."

Anko stared at the younger girl. "Do you have any idea how much damage he could do with that thing? He could take down a freaking castle wall with… a… single… oh Kami, this'll be great!"

"Hey, Naruto!" Tenten shouted. "What are you going to call that?"

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"…the Kitsune's Claw?"

"Yep." Naruto said between mouthfuls of ramen. "My dagger's called the Kitsune's Fang, and my sword is bigger, so Kitsune's Claw."

'_**I like it.'**_ Kyuubi said, _**'And if you want, I can push some Youkai into it to make it even stronger. Maybe even give it a special ability or two. At the very least, an internal summoning seal so you can call it into your hand without having to worry about unsheathing it.'**_

'_Really? Thanks!'_ Naruto replied silently.

"Not a bad name, Gaki." Anko said after a moments thought. "And to anyone from Konoha, at least, it's a very scary name."

"Can't wait to use it on a mission." Naruto smirked. "A proper mission, not another D-rank."

"Hey, don't diss the D-ranks." Anko smirked. "I thought you loved them. Snatching Tora before the other teams could grab her, ambushing them on their grocery shopping, switching out the paint and seeing how long it takes for them to notice the fence is the wrong colour… all good practice for when we hit the field!"

"At least you got permission from the other jonin-sensei's first." Naruto laughed. "I still remember Neji's face when he realised that he was pulling a stuffed toy along instead of the dog he'd started out with."

"So much for the _all-seeing Byakugan_." Anko chuckled. "How you pulled off the trick the second time, I still don't know. His scream when he saw one of your tigers with the leash going into its mouth… who knew he could sound so girly?"

"Kaze found it very amusing." Naruto snickered. "So did I. And Gai-sensei."

"_It is fated that you shall not succeed in doing that again. Eeeek!_" Anko quoted with a laugh. From behind them, Kaze gave a rumbling purr and Anko reached back and quickly scratched him between his ears.

"Still amazes me how you understand them so well." Anko admitted with a smirk. "It's like watching an Inuzuka pair, only they're bigger."

"I can't help thinking I'd look even more awesome in samurai armour when riding one of them." Naruto admitted. "Probably just my imagination, I mean, plate armour wouldn't last long on me, but damn, it would look cool!"

Anko nodded as she shared his mental image, then she turned to look at her student.

"Gaki, you've been doing great so far. Your taijitsu is excellent, your ninjitsu way more advanced than it should be… heck, you're pretty much at special jonin level as is, and we haven't even had an out-of-village mission yet!"

"My eternal friend and rival! I have returned from my most youthful mission and am overjoyed to see you!"

Naruto spun round, his face lighting up as he searched for the source of the familiar voice.

"Lee-senpai! Your flames of youth bring light to Konoha now you've returned!"

Anko froze in shock. This was a side to Naruto that she had never seen before, yet something told her that it was as genuine as the side she had seen up until now.

"I heard about the most unyouthful decision of the council, denying Kakashi-sensei the right to take you as an apprentice, but I see you have a Hitai-ate, so you can still show your youthful passions in becoming a ninja! May I ask who your sensei is? And where are your team-mates?"

"I am the sole Genin assigned as apprentice to the most youthful yet very scary Jonin Mitarashi Anko, who is seated just here!" Naruto said. Anko gave a slight wave, her gaze transfixed on Lee's eyebrows. Lee grinned at her, his teeth sparkling.

"I am heading out to train, my flames of youth are reaching previously unimagined heights!" Lee proclaimed. "I am very glad that you have become a true ninja, as I always believed you would be!"

"Thanks, Lee-senpai."

"Naruto-nii-chan!"

"Lee-senpai!"

"NARUTO-NII-CHAN!"

"LEE-SENPAI!"

To Anko's horror, her student and Gai's embraced…

…to the background of crashing waves as the sun set behind their display of youthfulness!

For almost a minute, Anko remained frozen in shock, then she twitched a few times before exhaling sharply.

"…ensai? Anko-sensei, are you alright?"

Anko took several deep breaths. "How did you two _do_ that? That was the _Unbreakable Sunset Genjitsu_! Only Gai can do that!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "Ummm, Lee and Gai perform it so often that Lee knows what it feels like, but can't do it on his own because of his chakra problem. So when we do it, I kind of push my chakra through his chakra coils and he shapes it into the Sunset Genjitsu. The first time we used it on Gai, he was weeping with joy for an hour over how we had proven we were capable of mastering our youthful flames, or something like that."

Anko stared at her student in shock. What he and Lee had done was impossible. By any rational type of logic, it just could not be done that way.

But it had.

"I think that I need to talk to Gai." Anko muttered.

She could feel a headache coming on.

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The Sunset Genjitsu faded away and Gai's expression was a complex mix of pride, astonishment and total confusion.

"You are right, Anko-san. Now that you mention it, that should not be possible."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, perplexed. "Lee can't use his chakra, so he uses mine instead. How is that so strange?"

"Because Lee-kun's coils prevent him from using chakra _at all_! They are deformed, so chakra cannot pass through them. For him to be able to guide and shape your chakra like that, his coils would… have… to… Neji! Use your eyes on Lee, _now_!"

Neji backed away from his sparring with Tenten and jogged over. Standing by Gai, he activated his Byakugan, and gasped in shock.

"What do you see?"

"Lee's coils! They… they're not as twisted as they were! He's got chakra flowing…"

"How much chakra?" Anko demanded and Neji shook his head in disbelief.

"At the moment, about as much as an Academy student." He said slowly. "But his coils… they look as if they are… becoming less tangled? I don't understand. How is this possible?"

Anko and Gai looked at each other and then, in perfect unison, turned to look at Naruto who grinned nervously.

"Ah, give me moment to think." He said. _'Kyuubi-san, are you there?'_

'_**And where else would I be, Kit?'**_ Kyuubi responded sarcastically. _**'Before you ask, I have a theory. Your chakra is tinged with my Youkai, even after filtering through the seal. Youkai normally has a bad effect on chakra coils, weakening them, so since Lee was born with overly-rigid tenketsu, thus preventing the flow of chakra through them…'**_

'_Then weakening the coils makes them more flexible and allows chakra to flow properly!' _Naruto mentally exclaimed._ 'Kyuubi-sama, you are a genius!'_

'_**One tries.'**_

Naruto re-opened his eyes and looked round. "I think it's to do with my… _special_ chakra. If I remember correctly, Lee's tenketsu were too rigid, my chakra probably loosened them a bit. I guess this means Lee and I need to stop doing that genjitsu, we don't want to risk ruining his newfound chakra abilities…ooof!"

Lee hugged Naruto as hard as he could, then released him and held him at arms length.

"Naruto-kun, your flames of youthfulness have given me the chance to raise my youthfulness to a new level! Thank you! Thank you!"

Before Naruto could respond, he found himself in an even tighter hug, this one courtesy of Gai.

"Naruto-kun, you have re-ignited my student's potential, bringing his flames of youth to a veritable conflaguration! Lee-kun, I can now teach you the Henge, Kawarimi, Bunshin and how to tree- and water-walk, increasing the youthfulness of your skills! And at last, I can let you sign the Turtle contract! Naruto-kun, I can never repay you for what you have done! If you wish, I shall even instruct you in the Goken!"

"Gai! Lee! Air!"

Both Gai and Lee released Naruto and he dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. After a few minutes, he stood up and shook his head. "Gai-sensei, the Goken is your style, yours and Lee's. I would not take that away from you. But Lee, I think that this is worth at least… _two_ victories in our competitions, don't you?"

"Yosh, I can learn at least six new techniques all because of you, so I concede six victories, meaning that you are at 794 wins to my 790! Rest assured, I shall catch up!"

Naruto grinned widely. "I look forwards to your next challenge, Lee-senpai."

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"Yo, Gaki!" Anko shouted. "Get your shit together and get ready, we have a mission!"

A cry of "really?!" echoed and Naruto leaped out of the lower stairwell, a wide grin on his face. "A mission, really?"

"Yep." Anko said, opening the cupboard that she had placed by the main door and pulling out her pre-packed mission-pack. "Kakashi wants your help, seems the C-rank he and his team took is actually an A-rank. Bring your sword."

Naruto held out both hands and Anko's eyes widened as his dagger appeared in his left hand and his sword appeared in his right. Naruto placed the dagger along his left thigh and his sword to his back, both of the blades adhering without any visible sign of support.

"That's… a good trick, Gaki." Anko said slowly. "Okay, we're heading for Wave. Any last-minute thoughts before we go?"

Naruto grinned, then unleashed a high-pitched whistle.

Anko grinned widely.

"Oh, Gaki." She said almost reverently. "If only we'd met sooner."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note : Blah blah blah don't own Naruto blah blah blah.

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**Chapter Nine – Rising Wave**

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"Copy-cat Kakashi, the man who knows a thousand Jutsu." The masked figure standing on the embedded sword stated. Kakashi glared up at his newest adversary.

"Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Bloody Mist and master of the silent killing technique." He responded. "I assume that you are here for a reason?"

"I'm here to kill that old man, Tazuna." Zabuza stated. "You may be able to slow me down, but those three brats of yours are good as dead already."

Kakashi frowned and slowly pulled out his Kunai as Zabuza leapt off his perch and pulled the sword out of the tree. A moment later, a thick mist rose, cutting everyon'e vision to less than arm's length and Zabuza's voice echoed menacingly.

"Eight choices. Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, jugular vein, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I go after?"

Sakura gulped nervously, trying to see through the fog. Sasuke wiped the sweat off his forehead and Sai unsheathed his tanto.

"Where is he?" Sakura whispered.

"I wouldn't worry about him." Anko said, causing both Sasuke and Sakura to scream with shock while Sai inhaled sharply.

"Anko-san? Where the hell did you come from?" Sakura gasped, hands pressed to her chest as she tried to stop hyperventilating.

"Just got here." Anko smirked, finishing off her dango and hurling the stick into the mist. A second later, there was a faint _ting_ as it bounced off something metal. "Came with some serious reinforcements. Yo, Kaze, time to live up to your name!"

There was a breathless silence and Anko clasped her hands over her ears, nodding for them to do the same. An instant later, the air seemed to tremble, then a massive roar sounded, the blast of air accompanying it blasting the mist away as a harsh _clang_ announced that two swords had met. Zabuza stared in shock at the young blond who had efforlessly blocked his killing stroke.

"Naruto." Kakashi said in a relieved voice as he lowered his Hitai-ate back over his Sharingan. "You'll want to be careful, Zabuza is a kenjitsu master."

"Like Genma-san. I got it, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto grinned. "Okay, browless, let's dance!"

Zabuza tried to push Naruto's sword away, but his answer was a sudden thrust that launched him backwards. Kakashi ambled back to his team as Naruto and Zabuza slashed at each other.

"Shouldn't you be doing something to help him?" Kakashi asked curiously. Anko shook her head.

"Nah, Gaki learns best by doing. Going up against Zabuza, that's like a week's intensive kenjitsu training in less than an hour. Besides, he's got his clones watching from all around, like that squirrel there. He's learning Zabuza's style."

Zabuza blurred past, chasing Naruto who slashed a pair of trees, causing them to fall inwards and forcing Zabuza to slow down as he cut his way through them.

"He's good at using the environment in his favour." Kakashi noted. "How did you get here so fast?"

"His cats gave us a lift." Anko said almost absently as she pulled out another stick of dango. "Kaze got rid of the mist, and they're waiting over there."

Naruto charged by, slashing at a frantically-evading Zabuza.

"That Kekkai Genkai of his never ceases to amaze me." Kakashi noted. "His stamina is unreal. Hey, Zabuza! Naruto doesn't tire easily, he can fight for a full day before slowing!"

"I… didn't… need… to… know… that!" Zabuza roared back as Naruto's attacks sent him skidding across the surface of the lake. "How the hell… is this brat… so strong? Woah!"

"Bloodlimit! Super-strength." Anko called back. "So, Kakashi, these your brats you were complaining about? Emo duckbutt, pink banshee and inky idiot?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Sai respectively, yes." Kakashi replied, ignoring the killing glares that two of his team were directing at Anko. "They're my… wow, nice move, Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto-_kun_?" Sasuke grumbled. "How does that _dobe_ deserve being called –_kun_?"

"I don't see _you_ defeating Zabuza." Kakashi replied and Sasuke glared at him, then gave Sakura a confused look as she remained silent rather than speaking up in his favour. Sakura was staring at Naruto with a terrified expression as Naruto managed to block every one of Zabuza's attacks.

"Think we should step in yet?" Anko asked and Kakashi shook his head.

"Not unless Zabuza tries anything other than Kenjitsu." He said. "You said it yourself, this fight is a real learning experience for Naruto. I hope you three are paying attention."

Kakashi ducked as Zabuza was sent flying overhead, smashing through a tree. Naruto punched the falling tree out of the way and quickly blocked Zabuza's attack as he flew through the air in a prodigious leap, but Zabuza swung his sword and hurled him through another tree. Zabuza paused, breathing deeply and looking at Naruto with a confused expression.

"That is not a normal sword, kid." He said slowly. "Twice I've knocked it out of your hands, and each time you summoned it back. How?"

Kakashi glanced at Anko, who shrugged.

"I'm awesome that way." Naruto grinned, rising to his feet and spinning his sword one-handed before settling into the same stance that Zabuza had used at the start of the fight.

"You have one hell of a healing factor too." Zabuza mused as the cut on Naruto's arm finished closing. "Who are you?"

"Kagetora Naruto." Came the reply. "First of my line and soon-to-be clan head."

"First of your line?" Zabuza echoed. "Who were your parents?"

Naruto snarled. "Legally, I never had parents. Orphan at birth. No mother, no father. Pretty much everyone in Konoha knows who they were, but due to the damned council and the bastard who raided a certain house, I am legally clanless."

Sakura gulped and moved behind Sasuke.

"Tough break, kid." Zabuza said, lowering his sword slightly. "Once all this is over, how about I take you on as an apprentice? Your style stinks, but your reflexes are amazing."

Naruto grinned. "Sorry, but me and my senseis have other plans. Care to surrender now? Or will you try your luck against a supercharged genin and a pair of jonin?"

Before Zabuza could answer, a pair of senbon seemed to sprout from his neck, causing him to collapse bonelessly. A masked figure dropped down beside him.

"I thank you for distracting him long enough for me to get into position." The figure said. "Now, I must dispose of the body."

The figure vanished along with Zabuza's corpse and Kakashi turned back towards his team before he noted Naruto sniffing suspiciously at the spot where Zabuza had collapsed.

"What is that dobe doing?" Sasuke half-asked, half-sneered.

Sakura stifled a scream as a giant white-and-black shape seemed to materialise out of the woods and joined the blond. The boy and the cat continued sniffing at the area for a few more seconds, then the Naruto whispered something and the cat shook its head.

"Sensei, Zabuza's not dead. There's no death-scent."

"What?" Kakashi half-shouted. "But we saw the… senbon… hit… oh damn."

"False-death state." Anko groaned, slapping herself on her forehead. "How the hell did we _both_ miss that? Kami, we'll _never_ live that down."

"Ummm, excuse me, but what is it?" Sakura asked, keeping both Anko and Kakashi between herself and the irritated Naruto.

"Zabuza's still alive." Kakashi sighed. "The hunter-nin was obviously his assistant and used senbon to send him into a false-death state before fleeing with him. We've been duped. The only good point is that it'll take at least a week for him to recover, so we have some time to train you three up. Tazuna, I think we should get going."

More giant tigers seemed to materialise out of the trees as Naruto leapt onto the back of the first one. "Climb on, they'll carry us the rest of the way, we'll get there faster."

Sasuke glared at Anko. "_Emo duckbutt_?"

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Naruto was impressed.

Most people, upon opening their front door and seeing a half-dozen-plus giant tigers, would have screamed, slammed the door shut and piled up the furniture while swearing in panic. Tsunami had merely blinked a few times, then enquired politely if it was possible for the tigers to remain outside since she was unsure if they were housebroken, and she didn't know if the floor was strong enough to support them.

Anko and Kakashi found it hilarious, especially when all the tigers, after a quick series of growls, snarls, yelps and purrs, all nodded and settled down in front of the house. Once inside, Kakashi glanced over at his students.

"Sensei," Sakura said carefully, "What do we do? Will Zabuza return?"

"Probably, but not for at least a week." Anko said, pulling out a small scroll and unsealing a plate of dango. Tossing a stick to Naruto, she bit into her dango with a sigh of pleasure. "Going into a… _scrumph_… false-death state screws the body up. It'll be a week at least before he's back to battle-ready. Gives us time to get you brats to a level that'll give you a chance of living through this."

"Anko's right." Kakashi said. "For the next week, you are going to get trained. Basic chakra control and taijitsu practice. We'll start with tree-walking tomorrow."

"What?" Anko half-shouted. "You went on a C-rank without even teaching them the basics?"

"I was trying to hammer teamwork into them." Kakashi protested, much to Naruto's amusement. "The emo is insistent that the others will slow him down and he can do better alone, the pinky is a total fangirl and is thus currently totally useless and inky is so maladjusted that I'm amazed he's survived this long. If it hadn't been for the damned council forcing me to pass them and not do anything they consider harsh, they would have failed and been chucked out of the academy."

Naruto burst into howls of laughter and Kakashi paled as he realised that his three genin were staring at him, two of them with betrayed expressions. Anko smirked.

"_I_ made no promises, so how about this. You and Naruto go and find where this Gato that Tazuna mentioned has his headquarters, I'll drill the terrible trio in the basics."

Sasuke and Sakura looked at Anko's feral grin and both shuddered. Kakashi placed his chin on his hand.

"Try not to hurt them too much, I need them to still be mobile in a week."

Anko pouted, then slapped Naruto's head. "Calm down, Gaki. It's not their fault that they're so pathetic. You know how most of the academy teachers were trying to screw up your education, these three… well, pinky and emo, just got caught in the splash. Since pinky is from a civilian family and emo decided to refuse any external help in favour of training badly by himself, neither of them could compensate. How emo got the rookie of the year award, I don't know. Probably council interference. So, you and Kakashi, and your tigers, go searching for Gato and find out what he's planning. Rich scum like him are always seeking ways of spending less, it wouldn't surprise me if he's planning on backstabbing Zabuza. Probably something like hiring a load of thugs and sending them to kill Zabuza after he's worn himself out trying to take us down."

Naruto nodded slowly. "That's dirty, underhanded, devious… from what I've heard about Gato, I'd agree."

"Then it's agreed." Kakashi said brightly. "Tomorrow, you and I will set off to see if we can find Gato's headquarters while Anko tortu… I mean _trains_ my students in my absence. With my skills and your clones, we should be able to cover quite a bit of ground. Why did you suddenly look guilty when I mentioned clones?"

"Ummmm, Kaze and I were experimenting with what we could do…" Naruto muttered. "I think that the tigers may have learned the Kage Bunshin. On the plus side, if I do a Henge after linking my chakra to Kaze's, I turn into a tiger too!"

"I think I need to see what you've been getting up to." Kakashi said after a long silence. "On the plus side, what you've done may count as Clan Techniques, so you don't need to worry about teaching them to anyone for some time. Can the tigers turn into humans?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, they're happy as they are. They don't see human form as being anywhere near as perfect as they are, and I guess they do have a bit of a point."

Anko laughed out loud as Kakashi smiled behind his mask.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten – Teamwork**

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"ALRIGHT MAGGOTS, TIME TO START YOUR TRAINING!" Anko yelled as she hurled a bucketful of water over the sleeping genin. All three almost catapulted themselves out of their blankets as the icy-cold water sluiced down on them, shocking them from their slumber. As all three scrambled upright, Anko put the bucket down.

"Alright, listen up scumbags! Kakashi's gone, and left you three in my tender hands, and because of certain… considerations, he hasn't been able to teach you like he wanted to. That means that I'm going to hammer what you need to learn into you. You _will_ hate me, you _will_ curse me, you will come to know me as the most sadistic bitch in the world, and I will lap up every second of your suffering and cause you to suffer more! Now get outside, it's time for early-morning calisthenics, and the one who does worst gets to be my new senbon target! Move!"

Anko stepped back, raising her kunai so that she could lick its edge, but the trio had already fled. With a grin guaranteed to give nightmares to anyone who saw it, she ambled after them.

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"Alright you scumbags.," Anko growled as she prowled around the three genin, two of whom were almost paralysed with fear and the third obviously disturbed by her actions. "Kakashi told me what he was doing, and you three are the worst possible excuse for a team I've ever seen. He's tried to get you to learn teamwork, and failed big time, so since the gentle approach has failed, and since the council is preventing him from using harsher methods himself, he's left you to me! And I was trained by the biggest, most sadistic bastard ever, and now I get to do it to _you_."

Sakura gulped and Anko's grin somehow became even more cruel as she strode over to a nearby tree and walked up its trunk, pausing briefly before walking back down.

"That was the tree-climbing evercise. You do it by channeling chakra to your feet. Too much, you get blasted off. Too little, you slip down. You will start now, and if I think you are giving it less than your all…"

The three genin watched with wide eyes as Anko threw a kunai that sliced through an arm-sized branch, causing it to fall to the ground.

"What the fuck are you three waiting for! The trees are there, MOVE!"

They moved.

A small noise alerted Anko to the fact that she wasn't the only one outside the house and she turned to see Tsunami looking at her worriedly.

"Aren't you being a little… harsh on them?"

Anko sighed and dropped her normal psychotic persona act.

"Better that I'm harsh to them _now_ and they learn what they need to, rather than going soft on them like the Civilian Council wants and letting them all get killed because they've overestimated their skills and decided to fight rather than retreat. We're ninja. Soldiers of Konoha. There are so many things that can kill a ninja, or end a ninja's career that it isn't even funny, and it's worse for Kunoichi. These three need to learn that they aren't Kami's gift to the world, that they can be hurt, injured and possibly killed no matter what they do. They need to find their limits, so that they can work out how to improve them or work round them. If I don't push them now, force them to get stronger and more resilient, then when they face an enemy, they'll just break."

Tsunami looked rather disturbed, but she nodded slowly.

"I… think I see. How much training will you give them?"

Anko snorted.

"As much as they can take, then a little bit more to force them to improve. You don't know how bad they are, how thecivilian council screwed with the academy to try and make it easier to pass. Their class, only nine passed the final tests, the ones set by ninja rather than civilians. Nine out of over thirty-six. And all but one were from a clan, even if Gaki's been denied his."

"Gaki?"

"Naruto." Anko sighed. "Pretty much everyone knows about his burden, although most blame him for it even though it wasn't his fault. And the civilian council declared that the man everyone knew was his father, hell, was _proven_ to be his father by blood-testing, was no relation to him at all. Apparently they were trying to snag him for a private shinobi group that answers to the council, but they misjudged what their actions would do and realised too late that by cutting his links, he had no reason to stay and was too powerful for them to prevent leaving. Wish I'd been there to see the look on their faces, especially since the old man would have defended Naruto's right to leave. Anyway, Naruto's the Shinobi's Shinobi. Trained by the best Ninjitsu master and the best Taijitsu master of Konoha, with lessons from several others… and enough strength to throw a tree like a kunai. That sword of his? Solid metal, heavier than steel, yet he waves it around like it was paper. He's a one-man army. These three? They're still not even recruits. Excuse me…"

Tsunami watched as Anko strode off, yelling at the trio of genin.

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"Oh Kami, that woman's a monster." Sasuke groaned as he slumped down at the table and started to devour the plate of food in front of him.

"She's… _Naruto's_ sensei…" Sakura shivered and Sasuke looked at her strangely.

"Why are you so fixated on that dobe?"

"My… my mother was one of those who voted for his heritage to be stripped from him…" Sakura whimpered. "I… I'm scared he may decide to… make me have a training accident and… it scares me when he's near…"

"The council decided that despite all evidence to the contrary, Naruto was _not_ the son of the Yondaim Hokage and the Red Hot Habenero." Sai said tiredly from where he was sitting, having just finished his food. "He has since, with the help of the Hokage, declared that he is the founder of a new clan, the _Shadows of the Tiger_, and claimed the Rasengan as his clan jutsu. Until recently, he has been working on adding an elemental component to it."

"And how do you know that?" Sasuke asked as Sakura hunched in on herself.

"I deployed some ink-mice to watch him." Sai said with a slight shrug. "I felt it was best to keep an eye on dickless."

Sakura froze. "Hold on, you call me _Ugly_ and Sasuke _Smiles_, so if you call Naruto… how big is he?"

Sai held his hands up and Sakura's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

"No way! He's _that_ big! Wait… Hinata… byakugan… sees through things… Oh Kami, _that's_ why she went after him!"

"Actually, she fell in love with him _before_ she had learned how to use the Byakugan." A scarily familiar voice said from behind them. "I've managed to talk to her when she was… watching Naruto train, and it was his refusal to quit that got her attention. I wonder if Kakashi's told the idiot about how Hinata feels about him, those two could make a great pair."

The three genin sat in shocked silence for a moment, then an evil chuckle caused them to tense.

"Of course, if you've got enough energy to gossip, you have enough to train. Back to the trees! Now!"

With a yelp of fear, Sakura catapulted herself away from the table and scrambled through the door, Sasuke and Sai behind her. Anko smirked and concentrated for a moment, producing a Kage Bunshin and sending it outside before turning to the stairs.

"You may as well come out, kid. I know you're there."

There was a deep silence from the top of the stairs.

"Come on down. I won't hurt you, and I think you need to talk."

For another minute, nothing happened, then the figure at the top of the staircase slowly descended.

"Inari, right?" Anko asked. "We didn't really get to introduce ourselves. I'm Anko. You look like you've been through some rough times."

"What do you know about it?" Inari grumbled and Anko laughed, earning a shocked glance.

"About your situation? Nothing except what your mother told me. But I know _all about_ rough times. Sit, it's time for you to learn."

Inari sullenly sat down.

"I know all about suffering. When I was young, I was the student of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, the three strongest ninja in Konoha. I, a simple orphan, was his apprentice, learning from him Jutsu and fighting styles. But I was young and naïve.

"I didn't know just how twisted and cruel he was, but when his experiments on kidnapped orphans were discovered, experiments which were almost always lethal, he fled. And like a good little apprentice, I went with him.

"And that was the biggest mistake I ever made.

"He had no-one else to experiment on, so he experimented on me. Poisons, jutsu… I still have the damned curse seal that he placed on me, just here. It means that if I try to use too much chakra, it reacts and ccauses incredible pain, and Orochi-teme can trigger the damned thing whenever he wants.

"Eventually, he abandoned me. I wasn't evil enough for him, so he threw me away like a piece of trash. I managed to get back to Konoha, where almost everyone treated me like shit for having been taught by that bastard. I had no family and, at first, no friends. Eventually, a chunin named Kurenai managed to become my first true friend and through her, I met several others. I hold them close to me and they helped me to get past what that bastard did."

Anko paused and saw Inari's expression.

"My story's bad, but Naruto's? His is worse. On the day he was born, a monster attacked Konoha. Only the chakra of a newborn could be used to defeat the monster, but the villagers didn't understand what had happened and instead of seeing Naruto as a hero, they saw him as the monster reborn. The fact that both his parents were killed in the attack didn't help.

"When he was only four, he was thrown out of the orphanage. Not that it had made much difference, they were too scared to actually hurt him, but what they did was worse. They ignored him and locked him in an empty room for the slightest reason. By the time he was thrown out, he was malnourished and had learned less than children half his age, because no-one wanted to talk to him.

"Then some bastard threw a rock at him and his Kekkei Genkai activated, giving him incredible reflexes and strength. The downside? No control. It took over five years, and the constant training of _two_ elite ninja, a Taijitsu master and a Ninjitsu master, before he got to the point where he could safely give someone a hug without accidently breaking their ribs or spine.

"And then his lineage was revealed. His father had been a great warrior, renowned across the lands, and his mother a Kunoichi almost as famous. But the civilians on Konoha's council refused to believe that one they saw as a monster could be the son of their greatest heroes, so they passed a law stripping his lineage away from him and removing the money that he should have inherited. And he couldn't stop them because someone had tried to steal his father's techniques, and the resulting fire had destroyed the documents proving who he was.

"You think you have it bad? Trust me kid, you still have family who care for you. You still have a home and you aren't hated by everyone. You have it easy. Think about it, Naruto and I went through hell and we still carry on. You? You've had it harsh, but compared to us…"

Inari froze and Anko strode to the door.

"You need to get a grip, kid. Don't try to forget the bad things, but concentrate on what you still have. And think about what you'll do to protect them."

Inari didn't move as Anko closed the door behind her.

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Anko stared at the trio in the dawnlight.

"Good news, maggots! Today, you only do tree-climbing if you feel like it. I have something else planned. A lesson in stamina, evasion skills and the need to learn to move fast. And it's called… _Holy shit! Don't get eaten by the giant summons!_ Kuchyose no Jutsu!"

A large cloud of smoke formed and dissipated to reveal a giant snake. Anko lazily pointed.

"Get them!"

The snake lunged forwards and all three genin sprinted off, Sakura screaming in fear while Sasuke left some liquid behind. Anko smirked and moved to the porch, leaning against one of the support pillars.

"How likely are they to get eaten?" Tsunami asked from behind her and Anko snorted.

"They won't. I asked my summons to chase them, scare them, maybe bash them a little, but he won't actually eat them. Just make them think he will. I promised Kakashi I wouldn't kill them."

Tsunami paused as a silent yet incredibly scared Sasuke dashed past, the summoned snake striking at the ground just behind him.

"Do you do this sort of training to Naruto?"

Anko chuckled. "Naruto would uppercut any summons I called straight back to their world, or use that giant blade of his. Gaki's a total powerhouse, he just needs to learn to control it. Nah, speed, stamina and strength ain't a problem with Gaki, it's _control_ that's the issue, and he's got quite good at it. His reflexes are so boosted that I can't even hit him with my shadow snakes from four paces away, and he's pretty much surpassed me in traps and general trickery. All he needs is experience and hints on teamwork, and since he often does things with teams eight, nine and ten, he's learning that as well."

"Which team are _they_?" Tsunami asked as a white-faced Sakura sprinted past, intent on escaping her pursuer.

"Team seven." Anko shrugged. "The Uchiha is incredibly arrogant, the girl is an Uchiha fangirl who needs to seriously wise up and the pale boy… I don't know, but there's something off about him. The girl is terrified of Naruto, her mom was one of the ones who voted for him to be stripped of his heritage. I don't know if he'll ever really get on with them. Still,it led him to get those kitties of his. Heh, still wish I'd been there to see the Old Man realise what they really were. Come to think about it, he probably knew from the word go, him and that scrying crystal ball of his."

A series of explosions sounded and Anko raised her eyebrows appreciatively. "Sounds like someone took down my summons. Damn, I'll have to congratulate whoever it was."

"You don't seem upset by that." Tsunami noted, obviously puzzled. Anko smirked.

"Are you serious? One of them has the guts to fight back, there may be some hope for them yet. Okay, you brats! One of you just dispelled my summons, you get the next hour free, then we start the game again! Scram!"

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"Water walking." Anko said as she stood atop the lake, glaring at the trio of genin clad only in bathing costumes. "Take what you learned from tree climbing and apply it here. You'll need to use more chakra and contantly adjust it, otherwise you'll fall in. By the end of today, I want you walking on water for at least ten minutes before falling in. Girl, your aim is five as your chakra reserves are so pathetic. On the plus side, you should get this faster than the other two. Begin!"

From the porch, Anko watched as her Kage Bunshin oversaw the trio. Inari stood beside her, his gaze flicking between the genin and her.

"How are you doing that? You're there, but here?"

"Kage Bunshin, shadow clone." Anko explained. "I created a copy of myself and when the copy dispells, I get all the new memories from it, meaning that whatever it learned, I learn. I can create about four or five before getting tired, Kakashi can do maybe twenty and Naruto can do almost a thousand, but he's got incredible chakra reserves."

Inari's eyes widened, then he looked up at Anko.

"Can I learn to use this… chakra? I hate being weak."

Anko frowned. "It's better that you ask Kakashi when he returns. He knows how to teach the basics, my methods are… harsher than his."

Inari flinched as the Anko-clone threw a kunai at Sasuke, who barely managed to dodge it.

"Kakashi… yeah. Okay."

Anko smirked.


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Note :- Yadda, yadda, don't own Naruto... but you already knew that._

**Chapter Eleven – Meanwhile In Konoha**

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"Yipe!"

Kiba's yelp echoed off the trees as he jerked backwards, his frantic reaction allowing him to evade the Jyuuken strike by a mere fraction of an inch. Backpedalling rapidly, he dived sideways as another strike scythed through where he had been.

"Enough!"

Both combatants halted, Hinata merely breathing heavily while Kiba hyperventilated as the adrenaline slowly ebbed from his system.

"That was… quite incredible, Hinata." Kurenai said, walking over to them. "You've really become a lot faster."

"Thank you, sensei." Hinata said quietly. "I knew my taijitsu needed work, so I… asked someone for help. I don't mean any insult, but you're a _genjitsu_ specialist, so…"

Kurenai smiled. "No insult is taken. I know my limitations, as a Genjitsu user, I am best in a team with frontline fighters, or in a recon group like this. Who did you ask for help?"

"My cousin's sensei, Maito Gai. He gave me some weights to help build my speed and strength, and Mitarashi Anko taught me exercises to help me become tougher and more flexible."

"It's worked." Kiba panted, managing to lever himself into a sitting position. "Sensei, I think I need weights. If they can do that for Hinata, then I _need_ to get some of that."

Kurenai nodded. "Well, that's all for today, we've done the missions, training and sparring. Meet back here at ten tomorrow. Hinata, wait a moment please."

Kiba nodded and gratefully accepted Shino's proffered hand. The taller genin pulled him to his feet and, pausing just long enough to scoop up the equally-exhausted Akamaru, started to lead him back to his clan compound. As they left, Hinata turned to face Kurenai.

"Gomen… I didn't mean to suggest that you…"

Kurenai held up her hand to stop the apology. "I am not angry with you, Hinata. Quite the opposite, in fact. You saw a weakness in yourself and took steps to correct it. And the results have been spectacular. When you started the spars, both Shino and Kiba held back so as to not beat you too badly, now they have to go all-out just to last more than a minute. No, the thing that concerns me is that I saw quite a bit of anger near the end of that spar. Is your family doing something again?"

Hinata shook her head, a blush colouring her cheeks and Kurenai raised her eyebrow.

"That blush… you're not angry _at_ someone, you're angry _for_ someone, yes?"

Hinata's blush deepened and Kurenai bit down on a laugh. "Someone you want to be close to, hmmm? Perhaps… someone as fast as Rock Lee?"

Hinata's blush seemed to glow as she ducked her head down into the collar of her jacket and Kurenai found herself hard-pushed not to burst out laughing.

"So how long have you had a crush on Maito Gai?"

"KURENAI-SENSEI!"

Kurenai could no longer hold it in. Seeing the horrified expression on Hinata's face in response to her joke, she fell sideways, clutching at her ribs as tears of laughter trickled down her cheeks. For what seemed like half an hour, she gasped for breath, each time she started to recover, the look on her student's face sent her into a fresh gale of laughter. Finally she managed to pull herself together and looked up into a pair of pale, angry eyes.

"I'm teasing you, Hinata, but that was a wonderful reaction. Everyone knows you've got a crush on Naruto."

Hinata's face suddenly flamed red again before vanishing into the jacket's raised collar. Kurenai almost burst into laughter again, but managed to hold it down to a wide grin.

"So, why do you need to be stronger? Aren't you strong enough already?"

Hinata shook her head. "Naruto-kun's scared of losing control of his Kekkai Genkai. You can see it, he's always trying to hold back as much as he can so no-one around him gets hurt. That's why I need to get stronger, so that he doesn't have to hold back as much, so that he can relax a bit without worrying about hurting… m… me."

Kurenai thought about it for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I… see. And what does your family think?"

"My father doesn't mind, I recently found a document from before I was born, a marriage contract between me and…"

"Naruto." Kurenai stated. Hinata nodded.

"But when the council passed that law, saying Naruto wasn't who he was, the document became useless, and since Hanabi has already been confirmed as the new clan heiress…"

Kurenai frowned. "I'm surprised that the elders didn't push to put the Cage Bird Seal on you."

Hinata giggled. "Dad took them to see one of Naruto-kun's training sessions, they saw him flatten Neji-nii-san in a full spar and fight Lee-san to a standstill in pure taijitsu. And with the tigers that Naruto-kun controls, the elders want to have me marry him to get an alliance between the Hyuuga and the Kagetora clans."

Kurenai's eyebrows had raised as Hinata spoke. "But what about the Byakugan?"

Hinata sagged slightly. "They have thought of that. When I do marry Naruto-kun, I'll receive the Sleeping Bird Seal so that I don't pass my Byakugan to any children. But I don't mind, they'll inherit Naruto-kun's Kekkai Genkai."

For a couple of seconds, silence seemed to reign, then Hinata obviously realised what she had just said. Kurenia lunged forwards as Hinata turned a bright red and collapsed, a small trickle of blood coming from her nose. Kurenai looked down at the unconscious girl in her arms and chuckled.

"Kurenai-san! Is my daughter…"

"She's fine, Hiashi-sama." Kurenai replied, looking up at the approaching figure. "She just trained a bit too hard, that's all."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow as he saw the trickle of blood on his daughter's face. "Really? I would have said that she accidently thought about being married to Naruto-san. After all, whenever her face is that colour, with the nosebleed, that is generally what and whom she was thinking about."

Kurenai scooped Hinata up into her arms, only to pause as Hiashi stepped forwards and gently took Hinata from her, cradling her so that her head was against his shoulder.

"Kurenai-san, may I talk with you?"

Kurenai lifted one eyebrow slightly. "Of course, Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi turned and started to stroll towards the Hyuuga compound, Kurenai taking position by his side.

"Can you please cast a genjitsu to keep this conversation private?"

Kurenai nodded and her hands blurred through a short sequence of seals. "Done. I've slightly blurred our faces so that we can't be lip-read, and our voices will seem distant and indecipherable to any who try to get close."

"Thank you." Hiashi said, inclining his head slightly. "I am sure you have questions for me."

"Like who you really are?" Kurenai asked semi-humerously. "I've never seen you act so… gentle to Hinata before."

"You have a valid point, one that I am not proud of." Hiashi said slowly. "At the time, I thought it was for the best. She held the position of heir, and those on the Hyuuga Council who were opposed to me tried to have her branded with the Caged Bird Seal. I tried to make her stronger, but… I realised too late that it was not working, so in order to protect her, I tried to push her away, so that the Elders would not see her as a way to control me.

"I have already apologised to her and explained my reasons. Hinata was kind enough to forgive me."

Kurenai glanced up and saw Hiashi's eyes shimmer slightly before he blinked several times.

"About her and Naruto…" Kurenai prompted and Hiashi smiled slightly.

"Hinata has trained with Naruto several times. He sees her as a friend. I intend to talk to him, show him the Marriage Contract and I feel sure that between the friendship he shares with Hinata and his desire to pay the council back for their actions, he will at least consider the possibility of matrimony."

Kurenai looked at him again. "And the fact that he is a genin without a team?"

Hiashi burst into laughter, almost causing Kurenai to lose control of the genjitsu. Once he had calmed down, he looked at Kurenai with an expression she had never seen before.

Mirth.

"Kurenai-san, he _is_ a team by himself. No, he is an _army_. He can create over a thousand Kage Bunshin, he has over a hundred Great Tigers backing him up and he studies under your friend, Mitarashi Anko, as well as Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi. Even you have taught him a bit. Would you like to re-think your stance on that one?"

Kurenai blushed slightly.

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"I can't believe how strong Hinata-chan has become." Kiba half-panted as he staggered down the street, relying on his team-mate to stop him from measuring his length on the ground. "I _really_ need to get some of those weights."

"The increase in Hinata-san's combat capabilities has proven to be both unexpected and fortuitous. It is highly possible that her combatative capabilities exceed those of both you and I at close ranges."

"Huh?"

Shino sighed. "It is good she has got better. She may be better than both of us close in."

"Why didn't you just say that?" Kiba half-moaned. "She was kicking my tail around the training field like I was her personal plushie, it was all I could do to not get knocked out."

"I also experienced a significant counterforce whenever I attempted to…" Shino stopped talking as Kiba glared at him, then he cleared his throat.

"She was able to outpower me at close range, and her chakra reservoirs have increased, she lasts longer against my Kikkai."

"She's got good." Kiba agreed. "I _really_ think I need weights, I'm so talking to mom when I get home."

"I also have reached the conclusion that I am lacking in taijitsu." Shino said. "The use of weights is a concept most agreeable to my current mental appreciation of the situation."

Kiba frowned in concentration. "So, your fighting is not as good as it could be, and using weights is a good idea. Right?"

Shino nodded slightly. "that is approximately what I said, yes."

"Dumb it down for me next time." Kiba groaned. "You and Hinata are the brains of the group. Until Hinata hammered me like that, I thought _I_ was the brute strength. Heh. Have to do some serious training if I want to claim _that_ title back."

"Her combat capability has indeed increased exponentially." Shino said. "I admit to curiosity as to the origin of the unprecedented and unexpected increase in her skills and tactical acumen."

Kiba stared at him.

"She has become very strong, I wonder how." Shino translated and Kiba shrugged.

"Dunno. Howabout we follow her on our day off and see if we can find out?"

Shino nodded.

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"Hinata-chan! It is good to see your youthful face this wonderful morning! We were just about to begin our warm-ups, would you care to join us?"

"Thank you, Gai-sensei. I would, if it not too much trouble."

"You are always welcome, Hinata-san!"

"Thank you, Lee-senpai."

Kiba's jaw dropped as he watched Hinata remove her jacket and join the spandex-clad duo in their morning ritual of press-ups, sit-ups and other exercises. Beside him and peering over his shoulder, Shino's eyebrows had risen above his shades. Several minutes passed, and then Kiba sighed.

"Hey, Shino, Hinata's really grown! How did she hide those?"

Shino turned to stare disbelievingly at Kiba, who was staring at Hinata, or more accurately at a certain portion of her anatomy as she did so. A brief glimpse of her lower abdomen as her t-shirt lifted slightly showed that she was well-toned enough that her musculature was visible.

"Wow." Kiba drooled. "she's got a _really_ honed body, did you see those stomach muscles?"

Shiba's disbelieving stare intensified. "We are here to see if we can adapt our team-mates training to aid in our own, not to… _salivate_ over her."

"But look at her legs, her arms, her boo…_ow_!"

Shino lowered his fist as Kiba rubbed at the new bruise on the top of his head. "Will you please be quiet!"

You didn't have to hit so hard." Kiba pouted. "Hey, they've finished."

"Lee, ten laps around Konoha, go!"

"Yosh, Gai-sensei!"

As the young teenager blurred into the distance, Gai turned his attention to Hinata. "Are you recovered enough for a spar, Hinata?"

"Yes, Gai-sensei."

"No way." Kiba whispered as his team-mate and Konoha's taijitsu master squared off and began to spar. Instead of relying on the Jyuuken, Hinata was using a flexible, sinuous style that Kiba vaguely recognised.

"Snake style, used primarily by Mitarashi Anko." Shino said quietly after a few minutes. "Naruto's sensei uses it. It would seem that Hinata has been seeking out and incorporating multiple specialities into her supplemental training."

"Yeah, and she's learned some cool new stuff, too." Kiba whispered back as Hinata almost managed to land a hit.

Shino facepalmed.

"Good morning, my youthful friends!"

Both Shino and Kiba leapt at the unexpected greeting, inadvertently revealing themselves to the sparring duo before them as they spun round to confront the person who had spoken out behind them. Kiba opened his mouth, but what came out was not what he had intended.

"Eyebrows!"

Shino facepalmed agin.

"Please excuse my intellectually-challenged acquaintance. What he meant to say was 'good morning'. My name is Aburame Shino, this is Inuzuka Kibo, you already know our team-mate Hinata. May we know your name?"

The green-clad black-haired boy posed with his thumb raised.

"I am Rock Lee, the Second Green Beast of Konoha! It is my dream to prove that one can be a great ninja primarily relying on taijitsu. My otouto Kazetora Naruto healed my inability to use Chakra, for which I am eternally grateful!"

"…otouto…?" Kiba whispered.

"Come my newfound friends! Let me introduce you to my most youthful sensei!"

Shino fought down the urge to facepalm yet again.

He was uncertain that he would make it through the day without developing a distinct red mark on his forehead.

But at least he now had a chance to improve.

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"So, it's not just Gai-sensei who teaches you?" Kiba asked, a shocked expression on his face as he staggered back to his home, supported by both Hinata and Shino.

"Anko-sensei has taught me quite a bit," Hinata admitted, "And Kakashi-sensei has taught me a couple of jutsu."

"That is quite impressive." Shino said from Kiba's other side. "Your improvement seemed inexplicable until now. I am intrigued as to how you got permission from your clan to learn non-Hyuuga jutsus, though."

Hinata shrugged. "If all goes well, I am to marry outside the Hyuuga. As such, the Elders don't care any more about forcing me to become a _perfect_ Hyuuga. I'm still working on increasing my chakra reserves. Kakashi-sensei says that if I continue to do so at the rate I'mdoing, I'll be able to learn the Kage Bunshin before the year is out."

Kiba whistled in shock while Shino raised his eyebrows.

"That is… quite incredible. What inspired you to achieve such a feat?"

Hinata blushed. "N… naruto…"

Shino nodded.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note - Yosh! I don't own Naruto and will demonstrate the Lotus on anyone who claims otherwise! Gai-Sensei!_

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**Chapter Twelve – Wave Rising**

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"I still don't believe you managed to do that." Kakashi said in a shell-shocked voice as they crested the ridge and came into sight of Tazuna's home. "I mean, I knew your stealth skills were good, but managing to sneak into Gato's mansion and place a spy-seal on him while he slept? That's just… even for you, that's…"

Naruto chuckled and reached down to scratch Kaze's fur. "Hey, sensei, I am unpredictable. And that outer wall wouldn't have been an obstacle even if I couldn't do the tree-walking skill."

"…and you managed to put a transportation-seal into his safe, so we can summon all the things stored inside whenever we want." Kakashi continued. "Kami, how do you come up with these things?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's be easier if I knew the Hiraishin, but that died with my dad."

Kakashi looked at him, an odd expression on his masked face.

"…didn't it?"

For a moment, Kakashi remained silent, then he looked round to check that they were still unobserved.

"There are three ninja in Konoha who were your father's elite guard. They know how to do a version of Hiraishin, but until you can reverse the council's decision…"

Naruto's face darkened, then he sighed. "At least it isn't a completely lost technique. Maybe I'll be able to get one of them to teach me some day. Until then, I'll try to complete the Rasengan."

"You never told me how you're getting on with that." Kakashi said and Naruto shrugged.

"After almost blowing myself up a few times, I set my Kage Bunshin to work on it. I've found ninety-seven different ways of _not_ doing it, sixty-two of which are very, very painful. Briefly."

Kakashi blinked. "I… see. At least you're honing your Kage Bunshin skills."

"Yep." Naruto chirped. "I have no idea where that myth that it needs you to split all of your chakra comes from. As long as you give each clone enough to remain stable for a while, it's easy."

Kakashi nodded. "I see. When we get back, I'm recommending that Sarutobi promote you to chunin. Your skills are way too good for your current level."

Naruto sighed. "Won't do me much good, though. I still have too many enemies on the council for that to go through without one hell of a fight and with Kyuubi inside me and my super-strength control still slipping whenever my emotions get too powerful, no girl will want to marry me."

"One will." Kakashi said absently, then he clapped his hand over his mouth, but the damage had been done.

"Really?" Naruto asked, his entire posture reflecting his curiosity. "Who? Do I know her?"

Kakashi shook his head in resignation. Hiashi would kill him for this.

_If_ he was lucky.

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"NNNAAAAANNNIIIII?!"

Anko's head turned as the exclamation sounded and she grinned before turning back to the trio of near-traumatised genin.

"Awwww, looks like I can't play with you any more." She mock-sighed. "Kakashi's back, so you're going back to him. And all three of you are still alive, I must be losing my touch. Well, off you go. Get a quick wash and changed."

The trio dashed inside before Anko could change her mind and Anko grinned as familiar shapes began to come down the hill. Anko waved and the taller figure returned it.

"Welcome back. How did you do?"

"We have a spy seal on Gato, and a transport seal in his safe." Kakashi gloated. "Your student is _really_ something, you know that? How did you get on with mine?"

Anko smirked. "First, thanks, I'm quite proud of him, even if it was just a case of honing his skills. Second, they're still alive, but I think I got them to at least accept the concept of teamwork. They managed to dispel a few of my summons, and it wasn't just the ink-user. You know the little shit can create explosive tags? _That_ got my attention. Pinky's good at planning when she's not in fangirl mode while Sasuke actually has some combat potential. Still, explosive tags…"

Kakashi hmm'd as he dropped down from the back of the tiger he had been riding. "Well, Sai was privately trained to at _least_ genin-level before transferring across, so I have no real idea of what he was taught. His ink thing is a Kekkei Genkai, if that helps."

Anko turned and stared at the wide-eyed form of her student.

"Gaki? Gaki? Hey, what have you done to my student?"

"…she likes me that way…?"

"Kakashi…" Anko growled, a kunai appearing in her hand, "just _what_ have you done to my student?"

Kakashi stared at her, then glanced quickly at where Naruto was still sat motionless atop the now-sniggering Kaze.

"…ummm, I just told him that someonehadabitofacrushonhim_pleasedon'tkillme_!"

Anko blinked as she mentally reviewed the rushed ending of the sentence, then her gaze sharpened.

"Who."

Kakashi backed up, raising his hands.

"You like her, it's Hinata who likes him…"

Anko relaxed slightly. "Hinata? Hyuuga Hinata? 'Nai-san's student? The one who I'm teaching as well? Oh, sure, that's old news. Wait. You're telling me that all this time, he had _no_ idea? What the hell were you and Gai teaching him while you were raising him? You should have at least given him The Talk!"

Kakashi vanished in a Shunshin and Anko snarled before vanishing after him, leaving Naruto and the dozen tigers behind.

"… she really likes me like that…?"

Anko reappeared, sighed and tugged at Naruto's arm, pulling him down. Catching him and standing him up, she guided him towards the house.

"…Hinata _likes_ me…?"

Anko shook her head, then grinned widely. She was _so_ going to have fun teasing him and Hinata about this.

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"So." Kakashi said brightly to the hastily-cleaned trio in front of him. "How have things been during the last five days? Have you been good little genin for Anko-chan?"

All three stared at him, unable to speak.

"Well, I'll take that as a good thing." Kakashi continued, apparently missing the (non)reactions of his students. "Now, what did she teach you? Sakura?"

Sakura almost flinched at being singled out, but she managed to pull herself together. "We learned tree-climbing and water-walking."

"Oh, is that all?" Kakashi said, sounding disappointed. "She said she was going to work on your evasion skills as well as your chakra control and reserves."

"She summoned snakes and had them chase us! And she threw kunai at us!" Sasuke burst out and Kakashi nodded.

"That would be the evasion skills. Good to know she hasn't lost her touch. Did she start with the advanced stuff? Poisons, torture, assassination?"

Sakura and Sasuke both looked horrified while Sai looked slightly disturbed. Kakashi sighed.

"Well, at least she covered the basics."

"Sensei..?" Sakura asked nervously. "Why didn't we learn these things earlier?"

"Good question!" Kakashi replied in a congratulatory tone. "I was hoping you would ask that. Simply, your teamwork was _so bad_ that I had to take action to try and improve it, get all three of you working together. Did you play her favourite game with the snake?"

"The _Holy Shit! Don't Get Eaten By The Giant Summons_ game?" Sasuke asked in a haunted voice and Kakashi nodded.

"Yep, that's the one. Just about the only way to take out one of those when you're a genin is by teaming up against it. At least you managed to not get eaten, that's something. Anything else happen?"

Sasuke looked up and Kakashi almost froze as Sasuke's black eyes flashed red.

"I… activated my Sharingan during that…_ game_. And Anko gave me quite a lecture…"

"I told him that if he used it on an ally, team-mate or anyone from Konoha without permission, I'd rip his eyes out and replace them with his balls." Anko said, appearing from nowhere and draping herself against Kakashi. Kakashi nodded.

"Well, the punishment's a bit much, but I agree. It's one reason why the Uchiha were disliked by the other clans, they kept trying to steal clan jutsus, and occasionally succeeding. No-one likes it when they've trained for years to create a new jutsu, only to have someone blink at them and copy it."

Sasuke blinked several times, then nodded slowly. "So that is why the other clans didn't support the Uchiha. It wasn't jealousy of our eyes, it was that they were angry with us for abusing their power."

Kakashi nodded, his jovial act in abeyance. "Yes, Sasuke. Your clan were infamous for stealing other people's jutsu and boasting about it. If you rebuild your clan, you have a chance to build it so it isn't hated."

Sasuke lowered his head, his eyes dark in thought and Kakashi turned his attention to Sakura.

"So," He chirped, "I hear that you can actually be something other than a mindless fangirl…"

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Naruto leaned back against Kaze's flank in the middle of the clearing in the forest, his eyes wandering across the stars above.

'_The moon-eye girl would be good for you. We both know you like her and she likes you.'_ Kaze rumbled and Naruto sighed.

"I know that she likes me and I really like her, but… Dammit, Kaze, I daren't get that close to her, I'm too strong! I'll hurt her… I just know I will."

Kaze turned his head to fix Naruto with a piercing gaze and Naruto slumped.

"I'm scared, Kaze." He whispered. "I have too many enemies in Konoha, if I get close to her, they'll use her to get to me, and it'll really hurt her when they do."

'_I wouldn't worry about it.' _ Kaze replied. _'Besides, once you claim her as a mate, Blossoming Flower In The Morning Dawn has already asked to be the one to be the protector of Precious Flower With Eyes Of The Moon.'_

Naruto smiled at the name that the Great Tigers had bestowed on Hinata. "So Kyouka wants to guard Hinata…"

'_The two of them already get on well.'_ Kaze pointed out and Naruto nodded, then yawned.

"Sorry, but I think that…"

'_Sleep well, cubling.' _Kaze quietly rumbled, knowing that his charge was already asleep.

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The long-haired figure entered the clearing and froze as a large fur-covered head rose, affixing it with a piercing stare. A moment later, another head rose, this one human and topped with blond hair.

"Oh, good morning." The boy yawned, eyes still screwed shut against the dawnlight. The giant cat sighed and laid its head down, grumbling as it did so.

"What? Oh! Kaze says he's not going to hurt you, and… what? He says you're really a boy! He can smell it."

"Well, Kaze was it? is right, I am a boy. My name is Haku."

The blond rubbed at his eyes and yawned again, leaving Haku intrigued as to how he could yawn like that without dislocating his jaw.

"Nice to meet you, Haku. I'm Kagetora Naruto and this heap of fur is Kaze."

A growling rumble sounded and Naruto vaulted over Kaze, slapping him as he did so.

"Oh, stop complaining. When you sprawl out like that, it's what you look like, a great big pile of fur. Don't you agree, Haku?"

Haku noted the eye slitting open to look at him and the ear twitching slightly.

"I… think he looks amazing, even lying down." Haku said quickly. "I've never seen a cat as big as him."

"He's my friend." Naruto said, turning to glare at the sniggering feline. "Even if he does insist on trying to pounce me whenever he gets bored. So, what are you doing out here this early?"

"My friend is hurt and I'm getting some herbs to help him get better." Haku said, his eyes widening as Kaze heaved himself to his feet, looming over Naruto. Naruto followed his gaze.

"Oh, don't be scared. Outside battle, Kaze's just a giant kitten. Yes, you are and we both know it, so stop growling at me!"

Haku managed to not laugh as Kaze rolled his eyes before letting out a giant sigh and lowering his head. Naruto laughed and reached up to scratch Kaze between his ears. A rumbling purr soon started to echo around the glade.

"So, you need herbs." Naruto said, inadvertantly reminding Haku of his mission. "I can help, I'm a ninja, I can do anything! Oi, Kaze, who asked you? Ignore him."

Haku giggled, then held out the basket he was carrying. "I'm looking for more of these."

Naruto walked over and picked one up. Taking a few sniffs, he dropped it back into the basket and inhaled deeply, eyes closed.

"Over there, come on!"

Haku followed him as he headed towards a shaded portion of the glade, where a small area was thickly covered in the herbs. With a grateful smile, Haku started to pluck some from the ground.

"That was amazing."Haku said. "What else can you do?"

Naruto grinned. "I can do loads of jutsu, but I'm best in a close-in fight 'cause I'm super-strong. I've learned loads of stuff and can do really cool things, like this!"

Haku stared at the blue swirling sphere in Naruto's hand, then up to Naruto's grin.

"That is really amazing!"

"Yep." Naruto smirked. "It's called the Rasengan!"

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"Are you _sure_ he said Rasengan?"

Haku nodded. "It was a blue sphere of chakra. I'd never seen anything like it before."

Zabuza slumped back into the embrace of his chair. "Great. We're up against Copy-cat Kakashi, the Snake Mistress and the kid swordsman who has one of the jutsu of the Yondaime Hokage!"

"And at least one giant tiger." Haku said quietly. "It stood seven feet tall, at the shoulder."

Zabuza closed his eyes and massaged his forehead.

"Dammit, are you sure you got away safely?

"I did." Haku said. "I used my mirrors to cover some of the distance and to break my scent trail."

"Made it hard to find again." A familiar voice said from the doorway and Haku spun round with a gasp. In the doorway, Naruto grinned at him, flanked by Kakashi and Anko. Haku's gaze darted round and panic rose in him as he saw at least one giant tiger guarding each of the windows, looking in with interested expressions.

"I had a lot of help and I had to use my special transformation technique." Naruto admitted, rubbing the back of his head, "But I managed to find you. I don't want to fight you, so can we hire you instead?"

Zabuza stared at him. "What?"

"How would you like to become ninja of Konohagakure?" Kakashi asked with a smile visible under his mask.

"…what…?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen – Wave Breaking**

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"AAAAAAARRRGHHH! IT'S ZABUZA!"

Zabuza stuck his finger in his ear and wriggled it slightly, then turned to face Kakashi.

"Got quite a set of lungs on her, hasn't she?"

Kakashi nodded while behind them, Haku giggled slightly.

"Sensei! It's… it's Zabuza!"

"And…?"

Kakashi's simple query caught Sakura completely by surprise and she stared at him as if he'd gone mad. From the stairs, Sasuke stared at them wide-eyed while Sai merely cocked his head in slight confusion.

"We proved to Zabuza that Gato was planning to betray him and kill him rather than pay him, so Zabuza's accepted our offer of employment and will join Konoha once our mission is over."

"…."

"…."

"…?"

"Come on, Zabuza, I think Naruto wanted a rematch."

"Sure thing. That kid has potential. Haku, get settled in and ask Anko what needs doing. I'll be playing."

The three genin watched as Kakashi and Zabuza walked off, then Sakura blinked as Sasuke walked past her.

"Good morning, my name is Uchiha Sasuke, last of my clan. May I know the name of such a beautiful girl as yourself?"

"My name is Haku and… I'm a boy."

Sasuke froze, as did Sakura.

"You're… a…"

"Boy." Haku finished with a slight smile.

For almost half a minute, everyone was motioness, then Sasuke seemed to crumple bonelessly onto the floor. Sakura yelped and dashed over to check the collapsed boy was alright while Tsuname and Inari, who had managed to recover from their shock, started to giggle.

"Does he do that often?" Haku asked and Anko shrugged.

"No idea, brat. Anyway, you're in with the genin, since you're about their age, while Zabuza's in with Kakashi and myself. Heh, now there's three Jonin, we can do a proper watch rotation."

Battle cries and the sound of metal striking metal echoed and Anko glanced round.

"Wow, I gotta see this. Pinky, once Emo's up, get Haku settled in. I've gotta see what Zabuza's teaching my gaki, and if I can learn any of it. See ya!"

They watched Anko jog off and then Haku turned back to face Sakura.

"Do you want help carrying him to where we are sleeping?"

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"_What do you mean, Zabuza's vanished? How the hell am I going to kill him and claim his bounty if he's not around for me to turn on?"_

Gato's voice rose from the square of parchment on which a complex seal was written. The three Jonin, four Genin and unranked Shinobi crowded round to listen.

"_I don't care, we need to stop that damned bridge from being finished. Summon everyone, we move out at dawn tomorrow."_

"_Yes, even the nuke-nin! I want Zabuza's head on a platter."_

Zabuza growled while Haku cocked his head in confusion.

"Why are we only hearing Gato?"

"It's the way the seal works." Naruto explained. "It was in a Fuuinjitsu book and is a spy seal meant for undercover operatives. It only transmits what they say since it relies on detecting and transmitting fluctuations in the users chakra that correspond to speech."

Haku's eyebrows rose during the explanation. "Impressive."

"_So, that'll be a dozen nuke-nin in addition to how many? A hundred and forty? Should be plenty."_

"Hmmm." Kakashi mused. "Naruto, we may need your friends for this."

"Hell yeah!" Zabuza enthused. "Those cats of yours are each at least high-genin, low-chunin, boosts our numbers and the other side will have no idea what the hell they are. Heck, first few times I sparred against them, I ended up getting licked. Literally."

Haku managed to hide his chuckle as a cough, but Zabuza glared at him suspiciously.

"So, when Gato chooses to deploy his minions, we keep Tazuna here…"

"With a few clones for security." Anko interjected.

"…with a few clones and my genin for security while we ride the Great Tigers into battle and send Gato's surviving minions running." Kakashi continued. "And if Gato's not there, we track him down. Sounds like a plan?"

"Has my vote." Zabuza grinned under his mask. "But why leave your genin here? They could be useful. As a distraction, if nothing else."

Kakashi sighed. "Anko's just got them working together. I'd rather not traumatise them out of being able to perform teamwork after all that effort teaching them."

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Gato fumed as he strode towards the bridge. His primary disposable weapon, the nuke-nin Zabuza, had vanished, leaving him to recruit new ninja to take down the Konoha nin that the damned bridge-builder had somehow conned into protecting him. At least he'd been able to get another eight nuke-nin overnight, bringing the total up to twenty, although only sixteen were with him. And with close to two-hundred thugs in his army, there was nothing that could stop him.

He bumped into the ninja who was walking in front of him.

The man had stopped.

"What's going on?" Gato yelled, forcing his way through to the front ranks of the mob. Breaking through, he looked round and felt his breath catch in his throat.

"I didn't like it that you were planning on backstabbing me and my son." Zabuza drawled from his position atop the largest feline that Gato had ever seen. "So when my new friends came to me with an offer of sanctuary and a new life, I said yeah. If you hadn't been such a traitorous teme, I'd still be on your side."

Gato stared at him, then another giant cat showed up, this one with a silver-haired figure perched on its back.

"We just emptied your safe." The figure said as he dropped down onto the ground. "All that info you were keeping secret, proof of your crimes and your criminal empire, all in our hands now. Even if you somehow survive this, you're going down."

"Kakashi-sensei!" yet another cat-rider appeared, this one blond. "One of my clones just dispelled, Gato sent four ronin and nuke-nin to seize Inari and Tsunami. Sai took one down, Sasuke took down the second, Sakura KO'd the third and my clones mobbed the last one. Sasuke wants to know if he can have one of the swords."

Gato felt his blood freeze as his intended trump card was destroyed.

"Well," said yet another cat rider, causing Gato to start sweating, "This looks like fun. How many ninja?"

"Sixteen." The silver-haired one said. "None of them above high-chunin. No problems."

"Dibs on Gato." Zabuza snarled. "I want to chop his damned head off."

"I have a better idea." The blond said. "Let's catch him and give him to the villagers."

"Oh, Gaki," the female smirked, "Keep coming up with ideas like that and I'll have to marry you."

Gato gulped as the tigers crouched, ready to attack.

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Sasuke and Sai dragged the last of the four corpses to by the trees, where Sakura was emptying the pouches and removing the weapons of the other three. A small pile of kunai and shuriken was close by, as well as several scrolls.

"Dibs on the chokuto." Sasuke said and Sakura nodded as she opened the scrolls to check them.

"The kunai are probably only good for scrap." Sai said, picking one up and looking at it curiously. "The shuriken are very unbalanced. What are in the scrolls?"

"This one's got a fire technique." Sakura said, rolling it up and tossing it to Sasuke. "This one… oooh, a medical scroll! This one… not a clue. Sai?"

Sai looked at it. "That is a storage scroll. I will unseal it."

Sai unrilled the scroll along the ground and channeled some chakra into it. A second later, there was an explosion of smoke and everyone stared at it.

Sasuke started salivating.

"Salad." Sakura said slowly. "Someone filled a storage scroll with… salad."

Sasuke lunged forwards and grabbed one of the tomatoes, biting into it with an expression of bliss.

"I guess _smiles_ has dibs on the tomatoes too." Sai commented.

Sasuke glared at him before taking another bite.

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Gato had pissed his pants.

His army had attacked, only for a furry avalanche to hammer into it from the side as the five ninja before him had attacked, the youngest somehow creating a dozen more like himself and scything through the thugs as if they were blades of grass.

His nuke-nin had fared little better.

The ones who had homed in on the two men had been killed almost instantly, bisected by Zabuza or killed by assination strikes from the silver-haired man. Those who had gone after the woman were on the ground, dead or dying from snakebites delivered by snakes that the woman had somehow summoned from her sleeves.

The few that had attacked the one dressed as a Hunter-nin had been captured in blocks of ice.

The two who had gone after the brat had been sent flying by a backhand swing of the huge sword the kid was swinging around like a lethal paper fan.

Gato ran faster.

Behind him, the sound of combat died down, and a terrifying roar sounded. Another answered it from the left, then a third from the right.

They were _hunting_ him!

Gato tried to run faster, if he could only reach his headquarters then…

Both he and his thoughts screeched to a halt as a pair of giant tigers burst out of the undergrowth and spun to face him. One of them pounced and Gato found himself pinned to the ground by a pair of giant paws on his shoulders while his attention was transfixed by a mouth full of fangs the size of kunai.

The two tigers growled to each other, then the one pinning him moved off him just as the second one grabbed his right arm in its jaws. The first one grabbed his left arm and Gato fainted as the two tigers hoisted him into the air.

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"Where's Naruto?"

Tazuna's urgent query cut through the air as the three Jonin and single chunin dismounted from their feline steeds.

"Ah, Gaki went to get you a gift." Anko joked. "He and Kaze'll be back soon."

"Kaze's back!" Inari shouted, "And… and… there's _two_ of him?"

Anko looked round in confusion. Sure enough, Kaze had returned and was walking down the high street, Gato's arm in his mouth. Gato's other arm, however, was indeed being held by a _second_ Kaze.

"…what…?"

The two Kaze's stopped in the middle of the town square and, almost as one, dropped the whimpering Gato onto the floor before backing up slightly. Exchanging satisfied looks, one of the Kaze's settled down into his normal sprawl while the second…

… was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of smoke which dispersed to reveal Naruto making faces and spitting.

"Bleurgh, Gato tastes _terrible_!" he spluttered, causing a wave of laughter. "No, I mean it! He tastes foul, dank, slimy… bleurgh! Thanks."

Naruto took a swig from the water canteen Sakura had handed him, swished the water round his mouth and spat it out onto a nearby flowerbed. Repeating a couple more times, he handed the canteen back with a nod of thanks.

"So, that was the Great Tiger Henge no Jutsu you've mentioned before, yes?" Kakashi asked. "I'm impressed. It's like a reversal of the Inuzuka tactics."

"Can't wait to show Kiba." Naruto smirked. "Anyway, I thought that I'd bring the village a _little something_, so here it is!"

Gato whimpered as he frantically looked for an escape route, but the villagers had formed a complete circle around him, many of them growling or snarling as they advanced on the author of their misfortunes.

"Naruto, gakis, let's go." Anko commanded. "We can visit Gato's base and grab the rest of his things while the villagers… celebrate, then return when they're done."

The villagers didn't notice the ninja departing.

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"Do you really have to go?" Inari asked, his eyes brimming with tears despite his best efforts.

"I'm afraid so, yes." Anko said, looking down at the boy who was hugging her. "Don't worry, brat, we'll visit you again some day."

"'m not a brat." Inari protested and Anko ruffled his hair.

"You need to grow a bit before I stop calling you that." Anko grinned. "But I really need to leave."

"Thanks for your help." Tazuna said, pumping Kakashi's hand. "And thanks for that gift, it'll really help us in rebuilding."

"Well, Gato had stolen quite a lot." Kakashi said with his standard eye-smile. "Even after taking what you would have owed us had you told the truth about the mission, there was still quite a bit left. Use it wisely now that the bridge is finished. Now, we really need to return to Konoha, our new Jonin needs to report in and find a place to stay."

"We have a few spare rooms at home, if you don't mind having the tigers around." Naruto said to Zabuza, who laughed.

"Mind? Kid, I _love_ these tigers, excellent backup, fantastic steeds and always up for a good tussle! And _you_ really need kenjitsu training, as does the emo with his new sword. I'll accept the rooms with thanks."

"Hey, Come on!" Anko shouted, having managed to extract herself from Inari's hug and mounted one of the tigers. "Daylight's burning!"

"See you all!" Naruto shouted, waving as Kaze started to walk back towards Konoha. "Stay safe!"

The villagers watched their saviours vanish into the trees, then Tsunami looked at the bridge behind them.

"So, what are you going to call it?"

"The Super Awesome Bridge That Tazuna Built!" Tazuna declaimed, then he looked round at the suddenly silent crowd.

"The Mitarashi Anko bridge?" Inari suggested.

"How about… The Great Tiger Bridge?" Tsuname said thoughtfully. "After all, it was the tigers who brought that bastard Gato to us for justice, and they fought alongside the ninjas as well."

A rumble of approval went through the crowd.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen – Return To The Leaf**

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"That… is a big wall."

Kakashi smirked at Zabuza's deadpan comment as the outer wall of Konoha loomed into view.

"Yep, welcome to Konohagakure." Kakashi said. "The largest of the Hidden Villages, and the one with the craziest people."

"Yeah, right." Zabuza snorted. "As if any village could become that powerful with…"

"Let us show our FLAMES OF YOOOUUUUTTHHH!"

Zabuza's eyes widened as a green-clad figure dropped down from the top of the wall, followed by three genin. Naruto leapt from Kaze's back and almost tackled the smaller version of the green-clad man.

"Lee-senpai!"

"Naruto-nii-chan!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Lee-senpai! Gai-sensei!"

"Naruto-nii-chan!" "Naruto-kun!"

"Everyone, look away!" Anko yelled as Gai, Lee and Naruto hugged…

…as in the background, waves crashed against the rocky shore as the sun sank towards the horizon.

"ggaaaahhhhh…"

"Warned you." Anko said mercilessly.

"ggraaagaaawhaaaaa…?"

"The Unbreakable Sunset Genjitsu." Kakashi explained. "No-one understands it, and only Gai can perform it."

"Not true, my eternal rival!" Gai proclaimed. "Lee's control of his recently-unlocked chakra has advanced to the point that he can also create the Sunset Of Youth without aid!"

"Abrbrbrggrrraaabrbrbrgraaagu rgle…"

"Is there something wrong with him?" Gai asked, staring at the shaking Zabuza curiously.

"First time seeing the Sunset." Anko explained as Naruto exchanged bows with Neji and let Tenten give him a hug. "The first time it happens is always a shock. What are you doing here?"

"My cute students and myself are leaving to perform a border patrol and which will last for a fortnight." Gai replied. "It is good to see you, I was getting concerned that something unyouthful had happened to you. I know Momochi Zabuza from the Bingo Book, but who is this young lady?"

"I'm a boy." Haku muttered. "Why does _everyone_ mistake me for a girl?"

"Te be fair, Haku," Sakura said, "You do look quite feminine, and your long hair doesn't help. You look more like a girl than Neji does."

"Hey!" Neji yelled. Haku gave him a long look.

"He does look quite feminine, yes. Neji-san, how do you stop people mistaking you for a girl?"

"Oh, it happens quite often." Tenten giggled, ignoring Neji's glare. "He got propositioned three times on our last c-rank mission."

"Tenten!"

"What? It's true."

Zabuza closed his eyes and shuddered, then fixed his gaze on Kakashi.

"You weren't kidding about the crazies, were you?"

"Nope?"

"What crazies?" Gai asked.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Arrrgh!" Gai screamed. "You know your Hip and Too Cool attitude really, really annoys me, Kakashi! If I were not leaving for a mission, I would challenge you to another youthful contest!"

Zabuza stared at him, mouth working but unable to actually say anything.

"Gai," Anko said. "We need to get moving, and you probably do as well. Good luck on your mission."

"Thank you!" Gai declaimed, giving her a thumbs up. "Come, my cute and youthful students, border patrol awaits!"

Zabuza watched them leave, then shook his head.

"Please tell me that he's the worst."

Anko laughed. "Gai's the resident taijitsu master and shouts about youth. Kakashi reads porn, I work for T&I where I really let my sadistic side out, Kurenai really dislikes perverts and casts genjitsu on people who act perverted around her… the more powerful we get, the stranger we get. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Oh! Dolphin-kun!"

Anko leapt down and sprinted to where a man with a scar across his nose was just turning round. He caught her as she leapt at him and embraced her, kissing her in a way that made several of the shinobi nearby laugh, whistle or applaud.

"Who…? How?"

"My old Academy teacher, Iruka." Naruto said, shaking his head. "I still don't know how they got together, but several times I've got up in the morning to do my dawn exercises and found Iruka-sensei in the kitchen making coffee. Thank Kami for silencing seals is all I can say. Although he actually makes better coffee than Gai-sensei does."

Zabuza stared at him.

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The man behind the desk was not what Zabuza had expected.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the famed Professor, the God Of Shinobi, the Master Of Ninjitsu, the Third Hokage…

…was an old man.

Smoking a pipe.

"So, Kakashi offered to let you two join our ranks." Hiruzen said with a gentle smile after Anko had finished her recitation of events. "Zabuza, you are well-known as being Jonin rank and one of the famed Seven Swordsmen, so I offer you the rank of probationary Jonin for six months. After that, if you haven't got into any real trouble, the rank will be full Jonin. And as for your…son?"

Zabuza shrugged. "Haku is as a son to me, but I never officially adopted him. And there are people out there who would kill me _and_ him if I gave him the name Momochi."

Hiruzen looked thoughtful, then glanced over to Naruto.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Jiji, can I adopt Haku as my cousin? Kagetora Haku… sounds good."

"If Haku agrees, then I see no reason why not." The Hokage said. "Although as your _adopted_ cousin, he will not become the leader of the Kagetora clan while you are still alive, your claim has primacy."

"That's cool." Naruto said, and then his smile became an evil smirk. "And I think it's time to choose my regent to hold my Council seat until I come of age. Zabuza?"

Zabuza stared at him, then started to chuckle. Within a minute, he had slumped to the floor and was holding his sides as he howled with laughter. Once he'd recovered, he looked across.

"You realise what a fuss this will cause, right?"

Naruto shrugged. "The Council removed my lineage and inheritance. I can't think of anything better than having my uncle there to glare at them until I'm old enough to take over."

"Uncle?" Zabuza said slowly. "Sure, kid, as long as Haku agrees."

Haku nodded.

"A clan with not one but two Kekkai Genkais, strength and ice." Hiruzen grinned. "And having you on the council will make us a more valid choice for any nuke-nin from other countries who wish for a new start, thus giving us the chance to grow even stronger."

"And it'll covince the civilians to _finally_ stop screwing with me and my clan." Naruto grinned. "They'll be too scared to try, since they'll be terrified about what I might come up with next."

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"For a bunker, this is a very nice home." Haku said as he walked down the spiral stairs after finishing unpacking the things in his room. "I am really impressed by the training areas and the storage facilities, you are building up quite a library."

"I agree." Zabuza said as he followed his adoptive son. "By the way, with us, all six of those rooms are now in use, so who else lives here?"

""Well," Naruto said as he carried the large pot of stew through and placed it on the table while Anko followed with a basket of bread rolls, "There's you two, me, of course, Anko-sensei, Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei."

Zabuza almost tripped at that. "Wait, that spandex-clad freak lives _here_?"

"He's fine once you get used to him." Anko replied quickly. "You just need to nod whenever he says anything about Youth, then try and get away before he does that Sunset Genjitsu."

"What's wrong with the sunset genjitsu?" Naruto asked as he re-emerged from the kitchen, bowls and cutlery in his hands.

"Naruto's seen it so many times that he's immune." Anko explained to the two shell-shocked ninja. "Heck, he's the one who helped _Lee_ to learn it."

Both Zabuza and Haku stared at Naruto, who shrugged helplessly.

"It was an accident!"

Anko shook her head and helped herself to some of the steaming stew, grabbing a couple of rolls to keep it company. Zabuza and Haku followed her lead and Haku took a small taste.

"Wow! This is really good!"

"Thanks." Naruto said modestly as he filled his own bowl, "But it's nowhere near as good as Gai-sensei's cooking."

"Bushy-brow's cooking is _better_ than this?" Zabuza asked disbelievingly, looking at Anko for confirmation. When she nodded, his non-existent brows rose in shock. "I think I can put up with him in that case."

"Gai-sensei often brings his team here for team-building meals." Naruto said with a smile. "Kakashi-sensei said that now his team has improved, he might do the same."

"That reminds me." Anko said. "Kurenai passed a message to me for you, the Hyuga clan wants to speak with you mid-afternoon. I'd suggest formal wear."

Naruto stared at her. "But Anko-sensei, I don't _have_ any formal wear!"

"I ordered some for you before we went to Wave, a formal kimono made of the same material as your normal things, as well as some funeral clothes since… just in case."

"You never know when you might need them." Zabuza agreed. Naruto glared at them.

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Naruto paused and swallowed nervously at the sight of Hyuuga Hiashi stood motionless in the entrance to the Hyuuga grounds. Taking a deep breath, he resumed his walk.

'_**Don't panic so much, kit. If things go wrong, you can always summon your sword and cut your way out.'**_

'_Thanks, Kyuubi-sama.'_ Naruto replied. _'I'm still nervous, though. What do you think they want?'_

'_**I have no idea, kit, but I don't think it's anything bad. Just stay calm and composed, and don't break anything fragile. You know, doors, walls, mountains, that kind of stuff.'**_

Naruto managed not to laugh at Kyuubi's joke as he covered the remaining distance to the entrance where, remembering the lessons Anko had drilled into him, he bowed.

"Good evening, Hyuuga Hiashi-sama. Thank you for inviting me."

"Greetings, Kagetora Naruto-san. Thank you for responding to my request. Please, come with me."

'_**Don't ask what he wants, kit.'**_ Kyuubi warned before Naruto could open his mouth. _**'He will tell you when he is ready, and not a moment before.'**_

'_Thanks again, Kyuubi-sama.'_

Naruto followed Hiashi to a private room where, to his surprise, Hinata was waiting. As they entered, she rose to her feet and bowed deeply to him. Feeling even more nervous than before, Naruto bowed back.

"Please, be seated."

Naruto sat down as neatly (and carefully) as he could, feeling incredibly clumsy compared to how Hiashi and Hinata seemed to simply sink smoothly into a sitting position. Hiashi held out his hand and Hinata pulled a scroll out of her sleeve and handed it to him.

"Before we begin, I feel I must apologise for failing you, Naruto-san." Hiashi said, causing Naruto to blink in surprise. "I was not amongst those who chose to remove your true lineage from you, nor was I one of those who stole the inheritance you were due, yet in both cases I failed to see justice done. Despite what the Council may decree, know that I do indeed see you as the true son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, and I will be there to support you should you choose to reclaim your birthright."

"I… I thank you, but… why?" Naruto asked, totally confused. "I don't understand."

Hiashi sighed. "The answer is complicated, but I will try to explain. My wife and your mother were close friends, we were two of the very few who were actually aware that your parents had married. My wife and your mother were such close friends that when they realised that Kushina was going to bear a son and Hitomi a daughter, they made an arrangement to try and bring our clans closer. This document is that arrangement."

Hiashi handed the scroll over and Naruto slowly unrolled it.

'_Kyuubi-sama, do you understand any of this?'_

'_**Hmmm, look down a little bit more… I see. I think this is a marriage contract between you and that girl in the corner.'**_

"A marriage contract between me and Hinata?" Naruto exclaimed aloud, his eyes wide.

"Only if the two of you agree." Hiashi said placidly. "I had almost forgotten the existence of this scroll since I did not know you were the son of my old friend until your lineage was revealed and Hinata found this scroll, which is not so much a marriage _contract_ as a marriage _option_. What that means is that should you both agree, you will be married, if not, then the Clan Council will regain control over whom Hinata is to be married to."

Naruto looked across at the blushing girl.

"Hinata… you found this scroll?"

"Y…yes, Naruto-k… san."

Naruto's next question died on his lips as Hinata's eyes met his. After a moment, he spoke.

"Hinata, before you say anything else, there is something you should know."

"I… if it's th… the Kyuubi, I al… already know."

Naruto stared at her in shock.

"You know? And you still…?"

"You are not the Kyuubi, Naruto-kun." Hinata said quietly but firmly. "You hold it, but you are not it, and only an idiot would think otherwise. I know you for yourself, and love you for it."

For several seconds, a deep silence held the room, then Hinata suddeny blushed and fainted.

"Hinata-hime!"

Before Hinata could hit the ground, Naruto had managed to catch her, then he froze.

"Hiashi-sama, I…"

Naruto winced as he looked round, then his eyes widened as he saw the slight smile on Hiashi's face.

"I am glad to see that you care for her a great deal, Naruto-san." Hiashi said quietly. "Now, we need to discuss certain… arrangements."

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"So," Anko chirped from her position on the settee, curled up in Iruka's lap as he frowned over the shogi board between him and Haku. "How did it go?"

Naruto blinked a few times, then managed to pull himself out of his daze.

"It went… amazing!" he grinned, causing both Haku and Iruka to look up from their private war. "Anko, I'm going to marry Hinata! She wants me and she's really, really nice… and Hiashi approves! He even apologised for not managing to stop the council being so damned stupid!"

Anko's eyebrows rose in shock, then a wide grin plastered itself onto her face.

"The old stick actually apologised for something? Wow, he must really, really mean it. And you and Hinata are engaged?"

Naruto nodded, then he froze. "Oh Kami, she said she wanted to move here, but all the bedrooms are taken…"

"You still have spare barracks." Anko noted and Naruto shook his head.

"No! That won't work, I can't just dump her in the barracks, she needs her own room!"

"I have an idea." Iruka said, interrupting Naruto before he could work himself into a panic. "Since you want what is best for Hinata, how about…"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen – Preparations**

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"What are we doing here?" Kiba asked looking round in confusion as they came to a stop outside the Hyuuga Compound. "And where's Hinata?"

"Hinata's inside." Kurenai said with a smile. "She's been preparing for this mission for the last fortnight."

Kiba gave Kurenai a confused look.

"That is an interesting statement." Shino said. "Since this mission is a simple D-rank moving mission, transferring furniture and belongings from one place to another, when that fact is combined with your statement it seems that we are here to aid Hinata-san in moving her items to a place outside the Hyuuga grounds."

Kiba stared at Shino and Kurenai nodded.

"Very good, Shino. Now, any idea where she's going?"

Kiba shrugged. "So she's got her own apartment somewhere, right?"

Shino looked at the two guards at the door. "From the lack of anger pheromones and your own actions, Kurenai-sensei, I deduce that Hinata-san is not being exiled from the Hyuuga clan, which was the most probable reason for a Hyuuga to leave the clan compound. In addition, Hinata-san was the subject of an… unfortunate incident when she was three, so wherever she is moving to must have security on par with the Hyuuga clan if they are allowing her to leave without fuss. This implies another clan compound, which in turn implies a betrothal. Kurenai-sensei, is this Hinata-san's idea?"

Kurenai nodded with a smile. "Yes, and her father approved."

"Then there is only one logical destination." Shino said. "I thought I had seen them spending more time together since he returned from his mission."

"Who? Where?" Kiba asked, his face showing that he had not followed the logic. Shino looked at him.

"Kiba, you may need to keep Akamaru close by your side when we arrive at our destination."

"You may enter." One of the guards interupted.

Kurenai nodded in thanks and led her two students inside to where her third student was waiting, along with a giant white tiger. Kiba gulped as he looked at it.

"Oh Kami, we're headed _there_?"

"Thank you for coming, Kiba-san, Shino-san, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata said with a small smile. "Kyouka has agreed to carry some of the load for us."

"We're headed to Tiger Forest? We'll get eaten!"

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"Okay, despite the tigers, this place _is_ pretty cool." Kiba said, looking round as he entered the bunker, Akamaru hiding in his jacket from the giant tigers that were watching him with idle curiosity.

"Up this way." Hinata said, ascending the stairs. "My new rooms are up here."

"Rooms?" Kiba asked, leaping up the stairs to follow his team-mate. "I thought that Kurenai said that all six bedrooms were taken? Who moved out?"

"Naruto-kun arranged to have one of the barracks converted into my own apartment." Hinata explained. "Since each of the barracks has a small bathroom at the end, it wasn't hard to refit it to give me a proper bathroom and a kitchen/living room for my own use, as well as a bedroom."

Kiba stepped through the door after Hinata and looked round, his eyes wide as Hinata switched on the lights. "Wow, nice place!"

"Thank you." Hinata said as Shino and Kurenai entered. "Before you ask, the bathroom's beyond my bedroom and this is the kitchen/living area. If you can put the scrolls and bags in that corner, please? Thank you."

"So you get a small apartment of your own here? Neat."

"Yes, Kiba, but when I marry N.. Naruto-kun, we've agreed that he will move in here with me." Hinata smiled. "This means that this flat is for Naruto-kun as well as myself."

"Where does this door lead?" Kiba asked, opening the door set into the side of the room.

"That's the last of the barracks chambers." Hinata explained quickly. "Naruto and I decided to keep it empty so that when we have children, we can put their rooms there."

"A logical and intelligent example of forethought." Shino said, studiously ignoring the blush on Hinata's face as he glanced through the open bedroom door. "If that barracks is the same size as this one, you will be able to fit five bedrooms equal in size to your previous bedroom in it."

Hinata's blush deepened as Kiba returned from exploring the empty barracks.

"This place is incredible! Hey, Hinata, can you give us a tour?"

"Hinata-hime?"

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata vanished so fast that both Shino and Kiba were left staring at the place she had been standing.

"Did… did she… learn Shunshin?"

"No, she just ran very fast to meet her fiancee." Kurenai chuckled from the doorway. "Come on."

Kiba followed his sensei back down the stairs, where Hinata was just finishing giving Naruto a long kiss while Zabuza, Anko and Haku smirked at the scene before them. For almost a minute, Hinata and Naruto simply stared into each others eyes, then they became aware of the people around them. Kiba managed not to laugh as Hinata promptly blushed bright red and retreated into her jacket while Naruto seemed rather dazed, taking a few moments to return to reality.

"It's always the quiet ones." Zabuza commented in an amused tone, causing the portions of Hinata that were still visible to turn even redder.

"We have some training soon." Kurenai said, catching their attention. "Hinata, is Kyouka now your official partner?"

Hinata nodded as the aforementioned tiger ambled inside and settled down by her side. Kiba flinched.

"Oh hell, he's gonna eat Akamaru, I just know it!"

"She." Kurenai corrected. "And she's promised to leave Akamaru alone, the Great Tigers know about the Inuzuka and their dogs. In a way, they feel about humans how you feel about Akamaru."

Kiba blinked. "Hey, what?"

"It's true." Naruto said. "They only have one partnership-jutsu with their human partners, not loads like the Inuzukas. Would you like to see it?"

Kiba nodded and Naruto gave a whistle. A moment later, Kaze ambled in and Kyouka nudged Hinata.

"Okay, Hinata-hime. Just as we practiced."

Hinata nodded in response to Naruto's comment and scrambled onto Kyouka's back as Naruto vaulted onto Kaze's. Both Hinata and Naruto made several high-speed hand-seals.

"_Combination Kagetora Clan Technique:_ _Great Tiger Henge no Jutsu_!" They both shouted and vanished in a cloud of smoke. When it vanished, it was to show Kaze and Kyouka both stood there, each with a virtually-identical copy of themselves stood on their backs. The copies quickly stepped down and Kurenai walked over to take a closer look.

"I'm impressed, Naruto. The only way to tell the difference between you and Kaze is your eye colour." She said with a smile. Naruto released a purr and walked over to Hinata, nuzzling her cheek.

"And Hinata… it looks like you have your Byakugan in this shape." Kurenai said slowly. "Can you… use it?"

Hinata concentrated, releasing a slight growl, and her eyes changed slightly, the fur beside her eyes suddenly ruffling up in a pattern very similar to the enlarged veins of a normal Byakugan. She blinked a few times, then nodded.

Shino whistled in amazement. "How long can you remain in this form?"

Hinata replied with a series of barks and growls and Shino facepalmed.

"Naruto can keep tiger-form almost indefinately due to his chakra levels. His strength has carried over as well" Anko said. "We had Hiashi help with testing Hinata's tiger-form and we think she can hold it for maybe eight hours before she needs to rest."

"I… I'm impressed." Kiba said slowly. "How long have you… sorry. Anko-san, how long has Hinata been able to do that?"

"Kyouka and Hinata managed to synchronise enough to do it three days ago." Anko said with a smile as Naruto playfully nipped at Hinata's tail and she responded by chasing him outside. "Since then, Hinata's been learning how to move properly in that shape."

"That will help with long-distance missions." Kurenai said thoughtfully. "If Kyouka agrees to carry one or two of us and Hinata carries whoever's left over… when Hinata returns to normal, I'll have to talk with her about it."

"Hey, come here!" Kiba called from the door. "you gotta see this! Hinata just pinned Naruto for the second time! Go Hinata! I wonder if she can use Jyuuken in tiger-form? That would be scary."

"Moving on." Kurenai said firmly, pulling some papers from her pocket, "These are the forms for the Chunin exams, which start next week and which I think you three are probably ready for. The choice is yours, if you think you are ready, fill out your form and return it to me as soon as possible. Kiba, here you go. Shino, this one's yours, which just leaves…woah!"

Hinata bounded past, snatching the form from Kurenai as she did so, pursued by Naruto who leapt onto her, only for her to roll over and end up on top of him.

"Pinned him again!" Kiba laughed. "Face it, Naruto, you can't win against Hinata. Heck, neither Shino or I can, and I've been using weights to get better."

Both tigers vanished in a cloud of smoke as they reverted to their real forms. The smoke dissipated to show Hinata, still holding the chunin form in her mouth, straddling Naruto's thighs, her hands pinning his shoulders to the floor. Zabuza promptly started laughing.

"Ummm, Hinata, you may wish to consider what that looks like…" Kurenai said. Hinata looked round in confusion, looked down and then threw herself off Naruto with a squeak, her face turning almost purple as she blushed furiously. Kurenai managed to turn her laughter into a cough.

"So, Anko, you putting Naruto into the exams?"

"Hell, yeah, kid's more than ready." Anko gloated, pulling a familiar form out of her coat pocket. "Problem is, the old geezer said that as Naruto had so many advantages, he'd be penalised in stage two. I'm not entirely sure what the old man's planning…"

"I know." Zabuza smirked. "The Hokage asked me to proctor the second stage. Heh, a chance to terrify a whole load of genin, should be fun. Ibiki's already giving me tips."

"I fear for my students already." Kurenai said with a smile. "Okay team, practice time!"

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The knock on the door sounded just as Hinata was placing the last of her new books, a gift from her father as a part of his ongoing apology to her, on the shelves.

"Come in!"

As Hinata turned, the door slid open and Naruto stood there with a smile on his face and a covered tray in his hands.

"I come bearing gifts." he said as he stepped in, proffering the tray. Hinata lifted the lid and her eyes lit with pleasure.

"Cinnamon rolls!"

"Fresh from the oven." Naruto confirmed. "I made them myself, I hope you like them."

Hinata nodded, unable to speak since she was busy eating the one that she had grabbed from the tray. Naruto grinned at her and gently placed the tray on the table, lifting the lid again so that Hinata could take a second one, then he leaned forwards and kissed her cheek.

"You had some icing there." he said as she blushed. Hinata paused, then with a mischevious smile she placed a small blob of icing on her other cheek. Naruto grinned, kissed it and then kissed her forehead.

"I didn't have icing _there_." Hinata mock-protested and Naruto shrugged.

"Not yet, you didn't." he teased, then he sat down on the sofa and motioned for Hinata to sit by him. "Hinata-hime, I actually came to ask for a favour in the exams tomorrow."

Hinata turned to look at him.

"Well, three favours. First, if we end up on opposite sides, don't hold back against me. I don't want you to fail to get thepromotion you deserve because I happened to get in your way."

"Only if you promise the same." Hinata half-whispered and Naruto nodded.

"Second, believe in yourself. You still doubt your strength occasionally. Don't. Inside, where it counts, you are probably stronger than me. Believe it, believe me and most of all, believe in _yourself_."

Ninata nodded, the half-devoured cinnamon roll in her hands forgotten.

"I… I'll try. And the third?"

"Kakashi-sensei confirmed that the chunin exams can be dangerous." Naruto stated. "The third favour, don't die, Hinata. We've only truly been together a few weeks, you've only been _here_ less than a week, yet you've become my most precious person. Please, be careful."

Hinata felt her eyes fill with tears and she leaned across to kiss Naruto on the cheek. "You promise that too. I didn't go to all that effort in chasing you to lose you."

"I promise." Naruto whispered, lightly hugging her. "You have my word, and I never break my word."

For several minutes, they sat there, simply enjoying each others presence, then Naruto sighed.

"It's getting late, and we both need a good nights sleep for tomorrow."

Hinata sighed. "I suppose so, but I'd just got comfortable."

"Yeah, so had I." Naruto admitted, trying to hide a yawn. "Well, I suppose another five minutes won't make a difference."

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Zabuza emerged from his room adjusting the his mask. Rubbing his eyes in an attempt to finish waking up, he turned towards the stars and paused as he saw Anko, Haku, Kakashi and Gai all outside the open door to Hinata's apartment, several of them holding cameras. As he approached, Haku motioned for him to be quiet.

"What's up?" Zabuza whispered, curiosity roused. "What are you all… okay, that's just too Kami-damned cute. Dammit, where's my camera?"

Haku smirked, holding up Zabuza's camera, then he turned back and looked at the sofa where Hinata was fast asleep, curled up in Naruto's lap with her head nestled against the side of his neck and his arms holding her protectively, coincidently holding the blanket in place.

"Who provided the blanket?" Zabuza asked quietly. "If they thought they needed a blanket, they'd probably have just gone to bed."

Anko blushed slightly.

"Why, Anko." Kakashi teased. "I didn't know you cared about them that much."

"Actually, it was me." Came a voice and everyone looked round to see Iruka standing behind them, shirtless and with a mug of coffee in his hand. "I saw the light on, checked and found them like that, so I grabbed the blanket from Hinata's bed to keep them warm and switched off the light."

"Then he returned to keep _me_ warm." Anko giggled.

For a few more minutes, everyone watched the sleeping couple, then Zabuza spoke up.

"So, who's going to wake them? After all, they do have that test to attend today."

Everyone glared at him.

"What?"

"Hush!" Naruto whispered just loud enough for them to hear. "You'll wake up Hinata!"

"You're awake too?" Hinata asked, lifting her head to look at him. "I thought you were asleep and I didn't want to wake _you_ up. How long have you been awake?"

"About… half an hour." Naruto said slowly. "You?"

"Bit longer than that." Hinata admitted, doing her best to ignore the laughter coming from the group in the door. "I guess this means it's time to get up."


	16. Chapter 16

oturan nwo t'nod I - eton s'rohtuA

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**Chapter Sixteen – Assembling For The Test**

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"Hey, let me go, you bully!"

Naruto turned towards the small child's cry, as did Kaze. Concentrating briefly, Naruto used his newly-mastered Shunshin to move to the rooftops, then a second one to where the black-clad ninja with the odd face-paint was holding the boy who he recognised as the Hokage's grandson.

A surge of chakra informed him that Kaze had followed him.

"What the hell?" The face-painted one gasped, pointing at Kaze. "What is that thing? Where did it come from?"

"His name is Kaze, and he is my companion." Naruto said, stepping forwards and placing his hand gently on the ninja's arm. "Please put Konohamaru down."

"The brat ran into me." The ninja snarled.

"I said sorry!" Konohamaru yelled and Naruto paused as he processed the odd scents, then flexed his spare hand.

"Come."

The Kitsune's Claw materialised in his hand, the blade just shy of touching the wrapped bundle on the back of the ninja. The ninja froze and Naruto looked across at the blond female ninja staring at him in shock.

"From your headbands, I see you are from Suna." He said calmly. "Your fan shows you to be a wind user, while the one whose head I am holding my sword above is a puppet user, one using his puppet to try and intimidate the Hokage's grandson, even though that is a stupid thing to do. As you are unescorted, I assume you are here for the Chunin exams, yes?"

For several seconds, no-one moved, then Konohamaru was dropped onto the ground.

"How did you know that? Who are you?" the girl asked.

"My name is Kagetora Naruto and my companion is Kaze." Naruto said as he replaced his sword, letting it adhere to his back. "May I know your names?"

"I'm Temari no Subaku, this is my brother, Kankuro."

Naruto inhaled deeply. "And the other who smells of your lineage? The one in the tree who smells of blood, death, sand and, for some reason, Tanukis?"

Kankuro and Temari both spun round to see a figure appear.

"G… Gaara…" Kankuro stuttered.

'_**Kid, that boy holds the Shikaku, the one-tail who controls sand. From the way his Youkai's leaking, his seal must be pretty bad.'**_

"So you're Gaara, the one who is the First of the Nine." Naruto said slowly, hiding a smirk as Gaara's eyes widened. "I am honoured to meet you. I am Kagetora Naruto, the one who is Ninth of the Nine. Perhaps we can speak about fuuinjutsu and the effects if missapplied sometime."

Gaara stared at him and then sand-shinshin'd to stand beside his siblings.

"Kankuro, Temari, we are leaving. Now."

The other two swallowed and moved away, occasionally glancing behind them as they did so.

"How did you do that with your sword?" Konohamaru asked, eyes wide. Naruto looked down at him.

"A special seal in the metal lets me summon it. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Konohamaru said, eyes fixed on Naruto's sword then jumping to Kaze, who was looking at him with an amused expression. "Wow, gramps said the Great Tigers were big, but… Can I ride him, please?"

Kaze looked at him, then nodded and lay down. Naruto sighed.

"Hop on, then we'll talk."

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"…and when I defeat gramps and become Hokage, no-one will call me 'Honorable Grandson' again, I hate being called that." Konohamaru finished. Naruto managed not to smile at the kid's overly-simplistic outlook.

"You realise that there's more to be Hokage than just being the strongest?"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto looked ahead, seeing the academy approaching. "I talked about this a lot, not only with your grandfather, but with several others, Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Mitarashi Anko, Yuhi Kurenai… I got a good idea of the burdens of being Hokage. No, listen.

"To be a Hokage, you must not only be strong, you must be willing to make sacrifices for the village. You must be willing to send others, those you command and even members of your family, on suicide missions if required for the good of the village. You must be ready to deal with liars, charlatans, traitors and murderers and do so as if they were your most trusted aides while still remembering what they have done, all for the good of the village. You must be ready to place the village above what is good for any specific individual, you must balance the rules of the village and the demands of the council, balance the clans to prevent any of them getting too much power and remove those that threaten Konoha.

"As Hokage, you have no-one to look up to, to direct you and tell you that you are doing the right thing. It is a lonely job, one where you must always be suspicious of those who agree with you since you cannot know whether they do so for the sake of the village, or because they wish to manipulate you.

"Being Hokage is a job that only those strong in body, mind and spirit can hope to do. Any shred of doubt can destroy you once you reach that position, yet you need to constantly ask yourself if you are doing the right thing. Just because you are Hokage, that doesn't mean yu can do whatever you want

"If you doubt me, talk to your grandfather about it. And ask him to tell you about the son of the Yondaime who never existed, and why the rulepreventing him from existing remains. Now, it's time for you to go."

Naruto dropped down and carefully lifted Konohamaru down. Smiling at the now-thoughtful and slightly-confused child, Naruto moved towards the entrance and paused, looking at the crowd.

"I can just push through, but… Kaze, let's go up!"

Moving to the side of the Academy, Naruto simply walked up the wall towards the roof, years of practice letting him do it reflexively. Reaching the top, he swung over the ledge, onto the flat roof, Kaze at his heels.

"Naruto-kun! Wait!"

Naruto leaned over the edge and offered his hand first to Hinata, then to Kiba and Shino. Kyouka flowed over the edge and headbutted Kaze playfully.

"Your decision to circumnavigate the adversarial congregation and select a alternate route to the required destination was a move which I had not anticipated, but which upon reflection seemed to be the most efficient way to proceed." Shino said.

Kiba looked at him.

"… avoiding the crowd was very clever and we decided to join you." Shino said. Kiba nodded in understanding.

"My eternal friend and rival, I saw you climb the wall and decided to follow your youthful example!" a voice said and Naruto turned to grin at Lee and his two team-mates.

"It was a drag getting up here, but it saves time and effort overall." Another voice sighed and Naruto turned to see Shikamaru and his team pull themselves up. "Team 7 decided to go the troublesome way through the crowd."

Naruto shrugged. "Then let's head down. I think it was room 301, yes?"

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"So, ten of the rookie thirteen are here." A voice said. Naruto turned round to see a young silver-haired man approaching them, a smile on his face and a Konoha Hitai-ate on his head. "And here come the final three."

A grunt announced Sasuke's arrival and Ino tried to pounce him, only to find herself suspended by Naruto's grip on her belt.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"You need to get your act together, Ino." Naruto said quietly. "We're representing Konoha here, we need to be professional."

"He's absolutely right," the newcomer said as he pulled out a deck of cards and flicked through them. "Oh, I haven't intoduced myself yet. My name is Yakushi Kabuto. This is my seventh attempt at the exams, so I've been around a bit and picked up quite a bit of info. For instance, we have 52 teams in this exam, or 154 genin here total since Naruto here counts as a team by himself, most of them from Konoha since we're the ones hosting it, but we also have a fair number of genin from Suna and Ame as well. Grass, Waterfall, and we even have a team from the newly created Sound village as well, though I'm not quite sure how they will stand up since their village was just made last year and all. Since these teams are from other countries, you can expect them all to be among the top of their ranks in their villages. Now, these cards hold the information I've been able to gather on the participants. Anyone have someone they'd like to know about?"

For a few seconds, the genin looked at each other, then Naruto spoke. "I encountered someone interesting earlier who smelt of blood, sand and death. Gaara no Sabuka. What can you tell me about him?"

Kabuto pulled out one of his blank cards and channeled chakra into it, causing writing and a picture of Gaara to appear on it. "Gaara of the Sand… I don't have much info on him since this is his first exam, but it says that he's done 8 C ranked missions and a B ranked mission… without getting a scratch? Damn… His team-mates are his older siblings Kankuro and Temar and his Jonin-sensei is named Baku. Sorry that I don't have more."

"He's a sand-user." Naruto said, causing Kabuto to stare at him. "Uses it as defense and offence. Huge chakra reserves, Kage-level plus. I'd advise _not_ going up against him if you can avoid it. He is… bloodthirsty and from how his sand smelled, he's killed before. Quite a few times."

Kabuto raised one eyebrow and pulled out another card. "You've intrigued me, Let's see, Kagetora Naruto, sole genin member of Team 11 under Jonin Mitarashi Anko, formerly the student of Hatake Kakashi and Maito Gai. Your missions are 15 D ranked, 5 C ranked… 3 B ranked AND an A rank?!"

"Does it have my parentage?" Naruto deadpanned and Kabuto shook his head.

"No, but it says you are have medium to high kenjitsu skills, good taijitsu abilities, low genjitsu… and your strength is off the scale, probably because of your Kekkei Genkai. You have a Great Tiger that you are partnered with in the much same way that the Inuzuka use their dogs and your ninjitsu skills are ranked high. Overall, you've got better skills than most Chunin and even some special Jonin. Impressive."

"What have you got on Hyuuga Hinata." Came a voice and everyone turned to see Neji looking at his cousin. "Tell me about my cousin."

Kabuto pulled out and activated another card. "Hyuuga Hinata. Part of team 8 underneath Yuhi Kurenai with Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino as team-mates. The runner up for Kunoichi of the year, her missions are 12 D ranked and 3 C ranked. A Byakugan wielder and Jyuuken user, but also trained in snake-style under Mitarashi Anko. Chakra levels are higher than normal for a Hyuuga, taijitsu is about average but she also has a partnership bond with a Great Tiger. Hmmmm, it also says you are the Naruto's fiancee."

Hinata blushed and hid her face in her jacket collar while Neji frowned thoughtfully.

"Since this is your first exam, the amount of information I have on you is limited." Kabuto shrugged. "Naruto-san, thank you for that additional information about Gaara. I shall have to make certain that I avoid him."

"Alright everyone, it's time for the exams to start." A man shouted from the front of the hall. "The proctors will show you to your assigned seats, once there, sit down and shut up."

Naruto glanced round, suddenly wishing that Kaze (and Kyouka) hadn't decided to wait on the roof for them.

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"Grandpa?"

Hiruzen looked up from the ever=growing paperwork to see his son standing in the doorway.

"Grandpa, can I talk to you?"

"Of course." Hiruzen said with a smile, "Come in. What is it?"

Konohamaru walked round the desk and climbed into his grandfather's lap.

"I met that boy you kept talking about, Kagetora Naruto today. He got me out of some trouble I was in and talked to me about being Hokage. I hadn't realised it was so… so…"

"Such a burden?" Hiruzen suggested and Konohamaru nodded.

"If it's a burden, why do you do it?"

"Because I can't trust anyone else to do it properly." Hiruzen said quietly. "There are many who want the position of Hokage, but most of them want it for all the wrong reasons. They don't truly care about Konoha, they aren't willing to make the sacrifices that Konoha needs, they simply see the power of the position and want it for themselves, and to hell with anyone else. I cannot let someone like that become Hokage."

Konohamaru frowned in thought.

"So… what makes a good Hokage?"

"Hard to say." Hiruzen mused. "A good Hokage must be willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the village if needed. He must learn the abilities of those who report to him so that he can deploy them for the greatest effect, and he must learn their weaknesses so that he can prevent them from putting the village in danger. He must be able to bot lie and tell the truth with equal skill, must be able to negotite from weakness and dictate from strength. A Hokage must be implacable in was, defiant in defeat, magnanimous in victory and gentle in peacetime.

"And a Hokage must be willing to face every day the greatest enemy that a Kage can have, an enemy that is soul-destroying and always returns."

Konohamaru stared at him.

"Paperwork."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen – The First Test**

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"Paperwork."

Naruto stared at the test in front of him with hatred normally reserved for the council members who had voted to strip him of his heritage. The sheet of paper in somehow survived his glare, failing to ignite or shred under his aggravated gaze.

"Now that everyone's seated, pay attention." Growled the large black-clad man at the front of the room. Naruto looked up and frowned slightly.

'_Hmmm, I know I've never seen him before, so why does he seem so familiar?'_

"My name, for those of you who don't know it, is Morino Ibiki." The man said and Naruto jolted in his seat. The movement attracted Ibiki's gaze. "You have something you want to say, Genin?"

"My sensei talks about you all the time!" Naruto blurted before he could stop himself. Ibiki raised an eyebrow.

"And your sensei would be?"

"Mitarashi Anko." Naruto replied and quite a few of the other Genin spun in their seats to stare wide-eyed at him. Ibiki merely nodded.

"Then you would be Kagetora Naruto. She's mentioned you, I'll be keeping an _especially_ close eye on you if even half of what she said is true."

Several of the Genin chuckled and Ibiki glared at them, causing them to freeze under his gaze.

"Time to begin. The rules are simple, each team starts with ten points. Each time you are caught cheating, you lose two points, whenever a team loses all their points, they are out. There are ten questions to answer, nine of them are on the sheets in front of you, the tenth will be revealed in three quarters of an hour. You will not leave your seats unless accompanied by a Proctor, raise your hand for attention if you need it. Naruto, since you have no team-mates in this test with you, you will start with six points instead of ten. Any questions? Tough. Turn over your sheet and begin!"

Naruto flipped the sheet over and his eyes widened as he saw the questions.

'_What? These are Jonin-level questions, not chunin, how can they expect us… to… cheat. Right, let's see. Kabuti said that there were 154 genin, but this hall has 20 rows of 8, which is 160. There aren't any spaces, so that means that six _genin_ are not atually taking the test and are therefore plants, so I should find and copy one of them.'_

Naruto glanced round, then he saw Hinata make a familiar motion three rows in front of him.

'_Hinata's obviously worked it out and is using her Byakugan… maybe I can copy off her? Let's see if I can use that trick that Kaze taught me.'_

Naruto picked up his pencil and half-closed his eyes. Calling on the meditation-practice that Gai had drilled him in, he channeled extra Chakra to his ears, identifying and discarding all the noise around him until all he could hear was Hinata's slight movements… and the scrape of pencil against paper as she started to write. Using the sound to direct his own pencil, Naruto was soon filling the ninth question space when he glanced down at what he had written.

_Naruto-kun, after this exam, you are going to tell me how you did that,preferably while treating me to a romantic dinner._

_And, if you are are nice enough,you can treat me to breakfast too._

It took all of Naruto's willpower not to laugh, but when he realised what Hinata was saying with her postscript, he felt his cheeks almost burning as he blushed furiously. Looking across at Hinata, he gave a slow nod and thumbs-up. In the depths of his mind, he could hear the Kyuubi sniggering at him.

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"Alright, pencils down!"

Naruto took the command as a chance to glance around him. Almost half the desks were vacated, the genin in question having been caught cheating too many times and expelled. At the front of the room, Ibiki glared at them.

"You've done well so far, but this is where the rules change. Before I give the tenth question, be aware that getting it wrong means not only that you are expelled with your team, but that you will never be allowed to participate in another chunin exam again."

Naruto frowned as cries of outrage and denial rose around him.

'_Something's wrong. Ibiki-san doesn't have that kind of authority anywhere else, and I doubt that Konoha would be willing to let someone's career just die that way… what could he be up to?'_

"If anyone wishes to avoid this by leaving, they can do so now, but if anyone chooses to resign, their team goes with them."

Several Genin rose, with apologetic glances to their angry team-mates and made their way to the door. Naruto glanced round.

'_I think I have this figured out, but let's thin the herd. The weak links are Sakura and Ino. Tenten and Hinata are both very strong, and most of the other boys are either too arrogant, self-confident or intelligent to simply quit. So as soon as I see Ino or Sakura move, I need to do something to boost their self-confidence, or persuade them to stay put.'_

After another minute of silence, Sakura started to rise and Naruto slammed his hand against his desk, causing it to shatter in a cloud of splinters.

"Ibiki, you've played with our minds long enough. Just give us the damned question already, none of us are going to back down now! We're not cowards."

Sakura slumped back into her seat.

Ibiki glared at him, then sighed.

"Alright. Everyone in? No-one wants to wait until next time? Very well then. Prepare yourselves… The tenth question… has been answered. You all pass."

For a breathless sliver of eternity, the hall remained silent, and then half the students reacted.

"WHAT?"

Ibiki held up his hand for silence. "The tenth question was whether or not you were willing to gamble on a possible victory with incomplete information. There will come a time when you have a mission, but you lack the information to know the safest way to do it. Will you go on, or retreat? This was a test of your courage and, for almost all of you, your belief in your team-mates."

Naruto sighed in relief.

"Then what about the other nine questions?" Kiba shouted.

"A test of your ability to evade detection." Ibiki said. "Something that you will need as a ninja."

Ibiki removed his bandana, revealing numerous scars and wounds. "You see these scars? I got them when I failed to avoid detection on a mission. I was captured, tortured, interrogated for weeks. I was rescued by my team, but my scars were beyond healing by then. Someday, you may have to face what I did, suffering with only the hope of your team-mates completing their mission to sustain you. The life of a Shinobi, the life you have all chosen, is not an easy one."

As Ibiki replaced his headband, a slab of ice formed by his side. A moment later, a familiar figure seemed to fade into view, and then stepped out of the ice sheet.

"Haku."

"Ibiki-san." Haku said with a slight bow. "I am here to direct those who have passed the first test."

Ibiki nodded and stepped back as Haku turned to face the remaining genin.

"Seventy-three genin, Ibiki. Well, my father will cut that number in half, at least. Please make your way to training area forty-four, also known as the Forest of Death. Those of you who do not know where it is, please follow those who do. You are to be there by noon."

Haku stepped back into his ice mirror and faded from view, then the mirror cracked and collapsed in a pile of ice shards.

"… _that_ is a nice trick." Kiba said, awe filling his voice before looking round and seeing that most of the genin were already headed towards the door. "Hey, wait!"

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Ibiki looked up as one of the proctors marking the tests snorted with laughter.

"What?"

"Anyone know who would call Naruto _Naruto-kun_?" the chunin asked.

"Sounds like Hyuuga Hinata." Said a female chunin. "I heard that she's engaged to him. Why?"

"Whoever has her sheet, please read the last part of the answer to question nine."

Ibiki shuffled through the papers in front of him and found that he had the sheet in question. Glancing quickly down the answers, noting in passing that all of them were answered correctly, he paused at the last two lines.

"She wrote a question for Naruto." Ibiki said. "And she does indeed call him Naruto-kun. How did you know?"

"I think Naruto copied from her somehow." The chunin grinned. "Is the last bit on her paper _'Naruto-kun, after this exam, you are going to tell me how you did that,preferably while treating me to a romantic dinner. And, if you are are nice enough,you can treat me to breakfast too.'_?"

Ibiki nodded. "That's it, word for word. She was three rows in front of him and one sideways, how do you think he did it? And why would he copy that bit if he could see it?"

"Not a clue." The chunin laughed as several of the others in the room snickered and giggled. "I think that we should ask Hinata about it after he's explained it to her. And after he's treated her to breakfast."

Ibiki smiled slightly as most of the other chunin gave up and started to laugh.

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The crowd of genin flinched as a giant sword hurtled overhead and embedded itself into a tree. A moment later, a tall masked man appeared on the sword, glaring at the assembled genin below.

"Listen up, maggots!" He shouted. "I am Momochi Zabuza no Kagetora, Demon of the Bloody Mist and now Jonin of Konoha. And you have the honour of being my first group of victims! Welcome to the second stage of the Genin exams which take place in the Forest of Death!"

The assembled participants stared at him silently with the exception of the Kiri ninjas, most of whom were sweating and wimpering.

"Before you can proceed, you need to sign a form releasing Konoha of liability of any injuries you sustain, or indeed any responsibility should you die, and some of you will die. Once each team has signed the form, you will receive either a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll, like these."

Standing below Zabuza, Haku held up two scrolls so that everyone could see the writing on them.

"Your task is simple, obtain one of each scroll and make your way to the central tower. Your time limit is five days. There is no upper limit on the number of scrolls you can obtain, but the longer you remain in the forest, the more likely you are to be attacked. Remember that you need your whole team to finish, so if one of your team-mates dies, you cannot pass.

"There is, however, one exception to the two-scroll rule. Here we have the Special scroll, which will be held by Kagetora Naruto. For him to finish, he needs to keep this scroll and obtain both a heaven and earth scroll. If anyone else manages to get the scroll off him, it is a reverse summoning scroll. Have your team place a drop of blood in each of the three seals and you will be transported to the tower where you will be given an automatic pass, irrespective of the number of scrolls you have. It will not, however, work for Naruto. Before you try to attack him, know that he was trained by Maito Gai, Hatake Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko. There is a reason we are making it harder for him, and it's to give the rest of you bastards a chance.

"The tent is over there. Fill out your form, grab your scroll and get to the gate you are assigned to. Move!"

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'_This will be easy.' _Kaze growled._'We already know the forest in its entirety, we just need to ambush a few teams and take their scrolls.'_

"I would prefer not to kill if possible." Naruto said, glancing left and right. Kage snorted.

'_We can do this, Two-Leg Tiger Cub. However, I would suggest you change shape for this. As long as you wear my shape, your scroll is safe.'_

Nauto froze, then hit his forehead. "I am such an idiot, I can't believe I forgot that. I will need to change back to take down the other teams, though."

'_Use your Selves-Made-Of-Shadow thing and send them to do the fighting. They take down the enemy, you get the scroll and then we fade into the leaves.'_

Naruto nodded slowly. "Sounds like a good plan. Once we get the scrolls, though, I'd like to check on Hinata."

'_She is with Master of Insects, Runs Like A Wolf, White Fur Great Heart and__ Blossoming Flower In The Morning Dawn. She will be safe and we will meet her at the tower."_

"Yeah, with Shino, Kiba, Akamaru and Kyouka, she'll be fine." Naruto admitted. "It's just…"

'_Your heart and hers beat as one, your souls are intertwined.'_ Kaze said understandingly. _'She makes you happy, truly happy, and you bring out the true strength in her. Together you are far more than either alone can not worry. You have many hunts ahead of you both.'_

Naruto nodded and reached up to stroke Kaze's head. "Thanks."

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"I have been considering tactics and believe the optimum path to victory would be for Hinata to utilise her special collaboration jutsu. Once she has done so, she and Kyouka can provide us with superior terrain-traversing capabilities, while Hinata's Bakugan will allow us to locate and outmaneuver opposing teams. In addition, our adversaries will not be anticipating the appearance of a duo of highly intimidating felines."

Kiba stared at him. "Shino. Dumb it down for me please, you know I'm not that clever."

"Shino was saying that I should use my tiger-form." Hinata explained. "I would carry one of you and Kyouka would carry the other, and I could use my Byakugan to see where other teams are."

Kiba nodded, then looked sadly at Akamaru. "We've really got to grow up fast, Akamaru. We're being left behind again, even with weight training. Oh, speaking of which!"

Kiba quickly removed the metal bracelets from his wrists and ankles, sealing them into a small scroll. Standing up again, he took a few steps and bounced up and down with a grin. "Wow, those chakra weights were the best investment I ever made for myself. Okay, I'm at full speed and strength now, nowhere near Naruto, but good against anyone else."

"ATTENTION ALL GENIN, THIS IS A ONE-MINUTE WARNING! THE TEST WILL BEGIN IN ONE MINUTE, PREPARE TO ENTER WHEN THE GATES OPEN! YOU WILL HAVE THIRTY SECONDS TO ENTER ONCE THE GATES OPEN, FAILURE TO ENTER WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION! FORTY-FIVE SECONDS UNTIL ENTRY!"

Kyouka hauled herself to her feet and moved to the sliding gate, Hinata by her side.

"Everyone ready?"

"I am fully prepared."

"Bring it on!"

"Arf!"

"THIRTY SECONDS."

"TWENTY SECONDS."

"TEN."

"NINE."

"EIGHT."

"SEVEN."

"SIX."

"FIVE."

"FOUR."

"THREE."

"TWO."

"ONE!"

The gates opened and Team 8 darted into the waiting forest.


	18. Chapter 18

_Listen up y'all, ahm Killer B / Got somethin ta tell ya, so listen ta me._

_This is somefin ya gotta know / The author he don't own Naruto_

_If ya think he does, well dat ain't cool / Means ya nothin but a great big foo!_

_Yo._

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**Chapter Eighteen – The Forest Of Death**

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The forest echoed with the noise of the wildlife that inhabited it, creatures tha would pose a threat to any ninja.

Not, however, to the two giant tigers prowling through the undergrowth.

'_Another trail, this one's not a Konoha team.'_ Kaze growled. The other tiger looked at him.

'_Which way were they heading, and do any smell of sand, blood and tanuki?'_

Kaze shook his head. _'You really have a thing about this… Gaara… don't you? Is he really that bad?'_

'_He holds a demon inside, like I do, but he reeks of death and killing. Kyuubi warned me not to try and take him down in anything like a fair fight, and that even an ambush would probably not work.'_

Kaze shrugged. _'This team smells of metal and rust, I think it is from the place called Rain.'_

Naruto nodded and followed Kaze as he led the way towards their chosen targets.

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"_Combination Kagetora Clan Technique:_ _Great Tiger Henge no Jutsu!"_

Kiba whistled in appreciation as the smoke dispersed to reveal two Kyoukas. The upper one dropped down and moved across to Shino, while the original took station by Kiba and waited for him to scramble on.

"So…" Kiba said thoughtfully. "Any teams nearby?"

Hinata nodded and the two tigers started to prowl through the forest. Shino concentrated and a small cloud of bugs appeared from his sleeve and flew through the forest ahead of them. After a few minutes, one of the bugs returned.

"Our opponants carry the scent of metal." Shino stated. "I would guess that they are from the Rain village."

"Cool." Kiba smirked. "We can see just how tough they are."

Hinata growled in agreement.

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"Well, this is messed up."

The three Rain ninja looked in shock at the force surrounding them. Most of the clearing was ringed by almost a hundred Kage Bunshin of Kaze and Naruto, the latter holding an enormous sword in his hand. The part not covered by Naruto was held by Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru and Kyouka.

"Naruto-kun… I didn't know you were after these people too."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, they don't stand a chance against me and you five could probably flatten them without breaking a sweat. Hmmm, Rain-nin, what scroll do you three have?"

The Rain Kunoichi held up a scroll and Kiba cursed.

"Earth scroll. Dammit, we needed a heaven scroll."

Shino shrugged. "Then we shall find one. Naruto-san, Hinata would be most irate with us if we tried to take your scroll, so this one is yours. Would you like aid, or will you deal with them yourself?"

The three Rain-nin looked at each other, then the leader nodded with a sigh and made a hand-motion. The Kunoichi slowly placed the scroll on the ground and backed away as one of the Naruto Bunshins scooped it up.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata asked, "How does Kaze manage to do that many Kage Bunshin? I thought only you had such reserves."

Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Umm, Actually, it's like the other technique. When I do a Kage Bunshin, Kaze matches his chakra to mine and…well…"

Hinata nodded. "That's very clever, Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned. "Well, I've got a Heaven scroll to find, and so do you. See you at the tower, Hinata-chan! You too, Kyouka, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru"

Most of the Bunshins vanished in clouds of smoke and when the Rain-nin looked round, it was to find themselves alone once more. After a few tense minutes, the leader sighed.

"New plan. Let's get the hell out of here. The gate's that way."

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"Before you turn back into a tiger, we need to find some way to communicate better." Kiba said, then he looked round. "What?"

"Communicate better?" Hinata repeated, her eyes sparkling with suppressed mirth. "Who are you and what have you done with _our_ Kiba?"

"Very funny." Kiba grumped. "Seriously, we need to know what you see, and as a tiger, you can't tell us."

Hinata nodded. "Alright, how about this. I'll stay human until we get our Heaven scroll, then turn tiger and get us to the tower as fast as possible. That sound like a good compromise?"

"It is an excellent suggestion." Shino said. "Hinata's enhanced feline mode is far superior in terms of mobility, although renainung human indeed provides much-needed vocal interaction during exploratory reconnaisance."

Kiba stared at him and Shino sighed.

"As tiger, Hinata moves better. As human, she can talk to describe things."

Kiba nodded, then Akamaru let out several soft barks and whines.

"Hey, Akamaru scents another team, that way!"

Kyouka growled slightly and Hinata nodded. "I agree. Akamaru has a very good nose."

Kiba glowed with pride. "Let's go!"

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"What are the odds" Kiba growled as their defeated adversaries retreated. "Three teams, all with the Earth scroll! Are there any Heaven scrolls at all out there?"

Shino nodded, frustration evident on his face. "The odds do seem to be somewhat against us, if I were a religious person, I would assume that Kami was playing a joke on us."

"We can't give up." Hinata said with a frown. "We have three earth scrolls, maybe we can find a team who have several heaven scrolls and simply trade?"

"Trade?" Kiba scoffed, and Shino lightly slapped him on the back of his head.

"The possibility of resolving our current state without violence is one that should not be discounted." Shino said sternly. "Admittedly, it is not without risks of its own, given the possibility of ambush and betrayal, but it is nontheless a definite possibility."

Akamaru yipped and Kiba looked up. "Another two teams over that way. Let's go."

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"Needle storm!"

Team 8 watched from their concealed location as the ninja threw his umbrella into the air. The umbrella spun, unleashing a near-solid wave of senbon which slashed down…

…and embedded in a sand shield that seemed to materialise around the red-haired Suna genin.

"How did you do that?"

"Your technique is useless against me. Now you shall validate my existance. Sand coffin."

More sand poured out of the gourd on the boy's back and engulfed the trio of older ninja.

"Sand burial."

The sand surrounding the trio contracted, blood leaking through, then retreated, leaving three broken corpses behind. The Suna kunoichi moved over and, disgust evident on her face, pulled a scroll from the corpse of the leader and looked at it. "Hey, this is an Earth scroll, we can head for the tower now."

Team 8 watched the trio leave, then Hinata activated her Byakugan and moved towards one of the other corpses.

"Hinata, what are you doing?" Kiba hissed. Hinata steeled herself and opened the top of the crushed corpse, revealing a scroll in the pocket. Pulling it out, she handed the scroll to Shino, then fled into the bushes and started to throw up. Shino looked at the scroll.

"A Heaven scroll." He noted. "We can head for the tower."

Hinata finished throwing up and let Kiba pull her into a reassuring hug as she fought down her tears. Shino joined them, having stowed the scroll in one of his pockets.

"He just… just killed them." Hinata gasped. "No mercy, nothing."

"No wonder Naruto warned us against him." Kiba said, shaken. "If I go up against him, I'm going to forfeit at once. That sand of his…"

"I do not believe I will be able to counter his abilities either." Shino said. "It is agreed, none of us are to accept a fight against Gaara of Suna."

Hinata nodded as Kyouka licked the tears from her cheeks.

"There is no rush." Shino said. "We are in a concealed location. Take your time, Hinata, we still have several days left, more than enough time."

Hinata nodded, then stood up. "No, I just need to get going. Kyouka?"

Kyouka nodded and lay down, allowing Hinata to climb onto her back.

"_Combination Kagetora Clan Technique:_ _Great Tiger Henge no Jutsu!"_

Kiba scooped up Akamaru and as Hinata stepped back down, he bowed to Kyouka, then scrambled onto her back as Shino accepted a ride from Hinata.

"The tower is that way, I would suggest that speed is our ally at this point."

Hinata nodded and accelerated, following Kyouka as they wove between the trees, heading towards the tower.

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"If qualities of heaven are your desire, aquire wisdom to take your mind higher

"If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack

"When heaven and earth are opened together, this perilous path will become righteous forever

"This something is the secret way, that guides us from this place today."

Kiba frowned as Hinata finished reading the poem mounted on the wall.

"Qualities? Train? What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"It is simple." Shino said. "We are supposed to open the Heaven and Earth scrolls here. The poem says that if we lack a Heaven scroll, we should find one, if we lack an Earth scroll, we should procure one, and that to advance safely, we need to have both scrolls and to open them here in order to advance."

Hinata nodded and Kiba frowned. "So… we just open the scrolls? Then what?"

"Only one way to find out." Hinata said as she accepted one of the scrolls from Shino. The two of them placed the scrolls on the floor and Shino unrolled his, then Hinata unrolled hers so that the two scrolls crossed. The scrolls started to emit smoke and both Hinata and Shino retreated rapidly, Hinata dropping into a modified Jyuuken stance as Shino summoned a swarm of bugs. Kyouka prepared to pounce while Kiba dropped to all fours, Akamaru on his back.

"Interesting welcome."

"Iruka-sensei?" Hinata gasped as a familiar figure emerged from the smoke. "What are you doing here?"

"My job." Smiled the scarred genin. "I'm one of the ones who are tasked with welcoming the genin teams to the tower, congratulations on passing the second stage."

"Wahooo!" Kiba shouted, leaping up, Akamaru balancing on his head and _yipping_ with excitement. Iruka smiled.

"So, you have another four days until this stage ends, we have several rooms for you to rest in, a food hall and other facilities including an onsen if you wish to clean up."

"Has anyone else arrived?" Shino asked and Iruka nodded.

"Yes, one of the teams from Suna arrived less than half an hour ago. The sand siblings, I believe. Why?"

"We saw them fighting." Hinata said quietly. "I think… we should avoid them. Especially Gaara."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "I… see. Well, there are plenty of Anbu in the tower with orders to put a stop to any fighting, so as long as you don't start anything, you'll be safe. Now, this way, let's get you settled in."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen – The Forest Of Snakes**

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Sasuke stood above the unconscious form of his adversary, smirking as he deactivated his Sharingan. His enemy had put up quite a fight, and he had acquired several new jutsus from it, as well as gaining some new taijitsu moves.

But more importantly, he held an Earth scroll in his hands, one which would allow them to head straight for the tower since they had started with a Heaven scroll.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"

Sasuke nodded, turning towards Sakura. His eyes widened as he saw her enemy almost embedded into a tree. She followed his gaze and blushed.

"He said I was a useless waste of space and that he was going to… well, it wasn't nice."

"Ugly knocked him out with one punch." Sai said as he walked towards them, wiping his tanto with a piece of cloth torn from the corpse of his former adversary. "My opponant didn't have the scroll."

Sasuke held up his prize with a smirk. "I got it. If we hurry, we may just set a new record."

"kukukukukuku, indeed you did get it." An unexpected voice chuckled and all three genin turned to see a Kunoichi from Grass appear. Sai's eyes widened.

"I am sensing far too much chakra for a normal genin." He said quietly but urgently. "Her chakra level is very high, probably Kage level, and the way she moves… I believe that retreat is the best option here."

The mysterious Kunoichi smirked.

"I saw your fight, you have _wonderful_ eyes, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke drew his sword in a single, well-practiced movement as Sakura scurried behind him. Activating his Sharingan again and passin ghis scroll back to Sakura, he fixed his gaze on the intruder. "Who are you and what do you want."

"A sword? How nice." The intruder smirked, then she opened her mouth. Sasuke froze in disgust as a snake emerged from between her lips, then it regurgitated a long sword which the kunoichi took hold of. The snake retreated back down the woman's throat and the Kunoichi pointed her sword at Sasuke, her free hand making seals faster that even Sasuke with his Sharingan could follow.

"_Great wind release!_"

A blast of wind lifted Sai into the air, sending him above the trees and Sakura bit down on her scream. The kunoichi glanced at her, then back at Sasuke.

"Now that the only dangerous one of your team is gone, I think it is time to test your kenjitsu skills."

Sasuke adjusted his stance, then found himself defending against a huge number of strikes and slashes. Even with his Sharingan letting him follow the moves and adding them to his inventory, it was all he could do to avoid getting hurt. In a clashing of blades, the kunoichi retreated, her face cut by his desperate counter, but not bleeding. Sasuke stared at it in horror.

"What are you?"

The kunoichi reached up and peeled her face off, revealing another one underneath, a man's pale face with yellow, slitted eyes. "I am one of the Sannin, Orochimaru. And you, Sasuke, are the reason I am here. The last of the Uchiha with the Sharingan eyes… how could I pass up such a prize."

Ignoring Sakura whimpering behind him, Sasuke adjusted the grip on his blade.

"Orochimaru." He said thoughtfully. "I've heard of you. The Sannin traitor, the one who searched only for power and betrayed his team for it."

"I am so happy that I am still famous." Orochimaru smirked, idly spinning his sword. "You are no match for me, you know."

Sasuke shrugged. "Every minute I delay you is a minute that Sai has to fetch help. He's too… annoying to die that easily."

As if to underscore his words, a distant explosion sounded and Orochimaru looked thoughtful.

"He just destroyed my summons."

Sasuke smirked. "He's had practice. Anko-sensei trained us using summoned snakes. We are well aware of their strengths, and their weaknesses."

"Ah, Anko-chan." Orochimaru smiled. "My little student. How is she?"

"You can ask her when she oversees your interrogation!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognised Naruto's voice and Orochimaru hurled himself sideways to avoid the impact. When the dust settled, it was to show Naruto standing in a crater, Kitsune's Claw balanced across his shoulders.

"Hey, teme. Thought you could use some help. Kaze's clone is carrying Inky to the tower to wait for you, he confirmed you have both scrolls."

Sasuke nodded as Sakura _eep_'d behind him.

"Sakura, get on." Naruto commanded. "He'll take you to Sai, Sai suffered a broken leg and will need help. The teme and I will follow shortly, once we chop this freak up."

"Kukukukuku, and who are you to make such threats?" Orochimaru taunted.

"Who am I?" Naruto repeated. "I am the friend of the Great Tigers, head of the Kagetora clan, wielder of the great sword Kitsune's Claw. I am the one who posesses the as-yet un-named Kekkai Genkai of power and who was trained by no less than four of the greatest Jonin of the village. I am the genin student of Mitarashi Anko and the beloved of a kunoichi who gave up her position of luxury and privilege because she wished to be with me. I am Kagetora Naruto and I am one of the two who will prove to you that Konoha's Will of Fire cannot be defeated!"

During the speech, Sasuke had moved forwards to take his place by Naruto's side.

"Sasuke, you will need your Sharingan for this fight." Naruto said calmly. "You already know most of the kenjitsu moves I have, so I am not worried about that, but my jutsu are chakra-intensive, and your reserves are not that large compared to mine. Copy if you wish, but make sure Kakashi knows which jutsu you are going to use before you try any of them out. This one at least will send you into a coma if you try it yourself. _Taijuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

The woods around them were suddenly filled with shadow clones and Orochimaru looked round with an approving smile.

"Truly excellent, I have never seen someone create so many clones at once, and Shadow clones at that. You may have more potential than that of the Uchiha boy."

"But you will never find out." Naruto said, placing his free hand on Sasuke's shoulder to restrain him. "First group, attack!"

With a roar, ten clones charged forwards and Orochimaru blurred into action, slashing and skewering the clones out of existence. Within seconds, they were all gone.

"Did you get any of that?" Naruto asked and Sasuke nodded, suddenly realising why Naruto had held him back. Naruto grinned. "Good, you can show me and Zabuza-sensei later. Second group, now! All other groups, deploy in order!"

Twenty clones charged forwards and Orochimaru once again started his dance of death.

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Sakura tumbled off Kaze's back as quickly as she could and half-ran to Sai's side. Kneeling down beside him, she opened up her medical-pouch and pulled out a small scroll. Opening it up, she channeled some chakra into it, causing a bonesetting kit to appear in a puff of smoke.

"Hold still." She said, concentrating as she ran a medical diagnosis jutsu across Sai's obviously broken leg. "Okay, I can't heal it, but I can set it and splint it. I'm afraid this may hurt. Bite on this."

Sai took the kunai and placed the handle in his mouth as Sakura ripped apart the lower leg of his shorts and placed her hands above his fractured bone.

"Ready?"

Sai nodded, then closed his eyes. An instant later, he released a muffled shout as the white-hot agony of a broken bone being reset lanced up his leg. The throbbing pain slowly faded and he opened his eyes and looked down to see Sakura placing the splints and wrapping bandages around his thigh. As she finished, he removed the kunai from his mouth.

"What happened to Sasuke?"

"Naruto's with him." Sakura said, looking out at the multi-kilometer forest. "They're facing Orochimaru."

"The Sannin traitor." Sai noted. "Given his current skill level, I do not believe that Sasuke will emerge victorious against him."

"Don't say that!" Sakura protested hotly, then she took a deep breath. "Don't say that. Sasuke by himself might not be able to win against Orochimaru, but he's with Naruto. Naruto managed to fight Zabuza to a standstill, and Zabuza's been training him, whats-her-name and Sasuke-kun, since. If anyone has a chance, it's him."

Sai looked at her curiously.

"I thought you were scared of him."

"I am." Sakura admitted, wrapping her arms around herself as she leaned back against the side of the tower. "I am _terrified _of him. I won't do a single thing that would risk annoying him, and I know that my mother now feels the same way. But he's gone out of his way to let me know that he doesn't hold me responsible for my mothers actions, that he knows I've told her to stop opposing him and that I'm going out of my way to avoid becoming a threat to him. He's forgiven me for the times I stupidly tried to side against him, and he's promised that as long as I remain loyal to Konoha, I'll be under his protection.

"So, yes, I _am_ scared of him, but it's because I know what he is capable of, not because I'm stupid enough to get him angry at me personally."

Sai stared at her, head tilted slightly as he pondered her words.

"How strong do you think he is?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. Anko-sensei said he's probably at Special Jonin by now and it's only political considerations holding him back. Once he blasts through the Chunin exams, he'll be another step towards becoming Hokage."

"Do you think he will become Hokage?"

Sakura lowered her head. "One time, I'd have said no. Now that I've seen him in action and talked to those who actually know him, I think not only will he become Hokage, but he may just become the greatest Hokage ever."

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The last of the clones vanished, pierced through the heart by Orochimaru's blade and Naruto looked at Sasuke.

"How much did you get?"

"Almost three quarters." Sasuke said. "Thanks for making sure the clones didn't block my line of sight."

Naruto nodded and hefted his sword. "Orochimaru's skilled, but my clones came close to overpowering him on several occasions. I'm stronger than him, but he's fast. I know you want to go it alone…"

"Not this time." Sasuke interrupted, moving into a low stance. "You strike, I'll cover."

Naruto nodded, then suddenly hurtled forwards, his sword sweeping down like a metallic thunderbolt. Orochimaru leapt back as the impact cratered the ground and then thrust forwards, only for his blade to be blocked by Sasuke. His eyes widened as Naruto thrust his sword forwards, punching it through his chest.

"Kukukukuku, excellent."

Sasuke's eyes widened as Orochimaru turned into mud and fell to the ground.

"A mud clone!"

"Did you get it?"

"No! I don't know when he switched!" Sasuke retorted, spinning round to search the forest. Behind him, Naruto snatched the dagger off his belt and hurled it into the tree canopy.

"Did you get him?"

"Wasn't aiming for him." Naruto said. "Preparing for something else, something inspired by the man who wasn't my father."

Sasuke blinked.

"I'm interested now." Orochimaru said as he stepped into view. "So tell me, who is this man who wasn't your father? You look like a young Minato, so if it wasn't him… Kakashi maybe? I didn't know you had been adopted… Well, you can tell me all about it later."

"Keep your eyes on." Naruto warned. "I think he's about to take things up a notch."

Orochimaru smirked, then darted forwards, his sword flickering in a twisting thrust that Naruto barely managed to block. Sasuke lunged forwards to counterstrike, only for Orochimaru to leap sideways, unleashing a barrage of snakes from his sleeve. With a yelp, Sasuke flung himself backwards, unleashing a fireball that caused the snakes to vanish in puffs of smoke.

"What the hell…?"

The harsh ring of metal on metal caught his attention and he looked up to see Orochimaru kicking a now-disarmed Naruto away from him before leaping forwards, bringing his sword down in a powerful slash. Sasuke lunged forwards, knowing that he wouldn't be able to block the strike, but unwilling to let the only genin he truly respected die…

CLANG!

Orochimaru's eyes weren't the only ones that widened in disbelief as his sword was blocked by the Kitsune's Claw.

"How?"

"Summoning seal." Naruto smirked as Sasuke slashed at Orochimaru, forcing him to retreat slightly. "Allows me to call my sword to me whenever I want."

"Very clever." Orochimaru smirked as Naruto regained his footing. "I underestimated you. Your strength is incredible, your speed excellent and your skill is quite advanced. You are no match for me, but you are… troublesome. Normally I would kill you where you stand, but if you let me do what I came to do, I will not only let you live, I will let you become my apprentice. Think about what you can learn."

Naruto smirked as he grabbed Sasuke and swung him onto his back. "Think about what you can learn from me. Watch and learn Orochimaru. _Demon Technique, Reverse Dagger Summoning!_"

Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock as a red chakra briefly surrounded the two boys and then it vanished, taking the duo with it.

"NoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

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Sakura stared at the sight. She had almost wet herself in shock when the dagger that she recognised as Naruto's had buried itself up to the hilt in the tower wall barely ten paces away from them. She had known just how far she was from where Sasuke was and the strength of the throw required was inhuman.

However, the dagger had done nothing for a while and she had almost forgotten about it as she tended to Sai's cuts and scrapes under the watchful eye of Kaze.

And then the dagger had suddenly glowed.

Sakura had spun round just in time to see a flash of red light which faded to reveal Naruto with Sasuke clinging to his back. For almost a minute, no-one moved, then Naruto spoke.

"You can get down now, teme. We're at the tower."

Sasuke glowered at Naruto as he dropped to the ground and re-sheathed his sword while Naruto reclaimed his dagger.

"Thanks. I… I owe you. Whatever jutsu scroll you want from the Uchiha library is yours. Make that five, you helped me learn a great deal of that new sword style."

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the two boys. She couldn't believe that Sasuke had just said that. Naruto grinned.

"How about you forgive me for the Thousand Years technique."

Ssuke snorted. "I forgave you _that_ during my second Genin test, dobe. Kakashi-sensei tried to do it to me and I managed to dodge it since I recognised what was going to happen. Nope, five jutsu scrolls once we finish this stage. On my honor as an Uchiha. But I will be practicing working that new style into my own. You may be better than me, but that doesn't mean I won't try to put up a fight."

"Thanks. Now, we need to part ways. You enter the tower while I wait for my clones to return with the scroll I need."

Sasuke stared at him.

"What? You really think even _I_ could have found and seized two scrolls that fast? My clones reported success just before I summoned us here."

Sasuke paused, then nodded, giving the impression of a formal bow. Walking over to Sakura and Sai, he looked down at them.

"Can we get him into the tower?"

Sakura nodded and Sasuke crouched down, pulling Sai's arm across his shoulder. Standing up, he supported Sai as they moved towards the tower entrance. At the doorway, he paused and looked at Naruto.

"I still think you're a dobe," he said, "but you just might make it to Hokage. And when you do, I'll support you when you reclaim your heritage, as long as you support me when I kill my brother for murdering my clan."

"I thought you wanted to do that alone?" Naruto asked in honest curiosity and Sasuke laughed harshly.

"I thought so too, until I realised how much stronger than me Orochimaru was, and Itachi's stronger than _him_. I need to get a _lot_ stronger to stand a chance against my brother. I knew that before, but I never really accepted it until now. Once this is over, will you tell me what training you got? I may not be able to do it myself, but it'll give me an idea of what I need to learn."

Naruto nodded and Sasuke walked into the tower, Sakura trailing him in confusion.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty – The Central Tower**

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The cloud of smoke formed above the three open scrolls and dissipated to show Mitarashi Anko. She looked at her student with a proud smile and tossed him a stick of dango.

"You made it, Gaki, and so fast, too. Anything interesting happen?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not really. Used my clones to get one of the scrolls, collaberated with Hinata-chan's team to get the second, teamed up with Sasuke to hold off Orochimaru until we could escape…"

Anko froze. "Orochimaru? He's _here_?"

"He's after Sasuke." Naruto confirmed. "I think it's for his Sharingan. You may want to check with Kakashi, I'm sure he's got the story from his team by now. On the plus side, I think Sasuke really _gets_ the idea of teamwork now."

Anko stared at him, her plate of dango forgotten.

"How did you escape?"

"I summoned myself and Sasuke to where I had thrown my dagger." Naruto said, holding up the Kitsune's Fang. "It's a trick that only I can do due to my… unique chakra."

"I bet sensei-teme was _not_ happy." Anko smirked briefly, then she sobered. "I need to tell the Hokage about this, Orochimaru being back is _not_ good news, he swore to destroy Konoha. This is bad, but you should be safe here. Head in and claim a room, there's plenty of food avalable, including stuff for Kaze."

Naruto nodded and Anko clapped him on his shoulder.

"When word gets round that you survived combat with Orochimaru, well, I think your promotion is in the bag. Nice work, gaki, nice work."

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"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto turned just in time to intercept Hinata's flying glomp. The impact knocked him back a few paces as he managed to not fall over, then he lightly hugged her back. At the table where Hinata had been sitting, Kiba waved while Shino righted the chair that Hinata had vacated as soon as Naruto had appeared.

"Hey, Hinata. I see you got yourselves a Heaven scroll."

Hinata nodded and tightened her hug, burying her face into the side of his neck, then she released him, grabbed his hand and pulled him to her team's table.

Once again, Naruto wondered how someone without his enhanced strength could pull him around so easily.

Perhaps it was a secret jutsu that only girls knew.

Reaching the table, Hinata sat down and Naruto took the seat beside her, smiling as Hinata promptly leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He placed his arm around her and she sighed in contentment.

"It is good that you succeeded in finding the required scrolls, Naruto-san. Hinata-san was becoming worried that something bad had happened to you."

"Nah, I'm good." Naruto said with a smile. "Had a bit of a sword-fight with Sasuke, but we both got out of it without getting injured."

"You fought Sasuke?" Kiba asked and Naruto shook his head.

"Nope. Me and Sasuke fought Orochimaru. He wasn't really trying and he wanted Sasuke unharmed, so we were able to hold him off long enough to get the rest of his team to safety, then he and I escaped."

Hinata had lifted her head from his shoulder and was staring at him with mingled amazement, pride and horror.

"We saw the boy you had warned us about fighting." Shino said. "He was absolutely merciless, he killed three genin with a single technique that crushed them in his sand. You were right about his sand being defensive as well, it created a shield around him that protected him from a rain of Senbon. I do not think that it was under his conscious control, it even blocked the senbon from angles that he could not have seen."

"He's a Jinchuuriki, like me." Naruto said. "I hold the Kyuubi no Kitsune inside me, keeping Konoha safe. Gaara holds the Ichibi, Shukaku, inside him, granting him control over sand. Shukaku probably provides him with the sand-controlling ability and the automatic defence."

Kiba stared at Naruto.

"You're a Jinchuuriki? Your father sealed the Kyuubi into you? Shino, why aren't you surprised by this?"

"I realised it on the day that Naruto's heritage as the son of the Yondaime Hokage was revealed." Shino said. "His realisation as to his parentage may have distracted most of the other students from what was revealed, but I paid attention to the lead-up to the revelation, and realised that the secret that was almost revealed that day was Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki. As to why I am not bothered by it, may I remind you that we of the Abarume clan know full well that having something inside us does not mean that the we become that which we contain. I hold Kikkai, I am not one. Naruto holds the Kyuubi, but he is not the Kyuubi. Only a true idiot would think otherwise."

Kiba frowned at him, then nodded slowly. "I think I get it. It's like… Naruto's the cup and the Kyuubi's the water. The cup holds the water, but doesn't turn into it."

Naruto nodded. "Exactly right. I can call upon the Kyuubi's chakra on occasion, even talk to him. I'm not the first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the first was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the first Hokage, the second was Uzumaki Kushina. I became the third after Kyuubi was freed during my birth and someone used a fully-evolved Sharingan to force him to attack Konoha."

"Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the Shodaime and Uzumaki Kushina, the wife of the Yondaime." Shino stated. "Interesting how both of the other Jinchuuriki were Uzumaki… how did you know this? I have not come across any reference to it."

"I talk to the Kyuubi on occasion, that's how I know _why_ he attacked Konoha. He was being controlled by a renegade Uchiha." Naruto shrugged. "He's the one who gave me my Kekkai Genkai, although we both kind of screwed up a bit. I accidently removed one of the limitation seals on me while he was upgrading my strength and… well… end result was supercharged strength, more than he planned."

"Seals?" Hinata asked, her face filled with concern. "What seals?"

"A dozen or so." Naruto replied, staring at nothing as he thought back. "Several designed to limit my strength and co-ordination, two designed to kill me should I leave Konoha without permission or at the whim of the person who placed the seal, some memory-degradation seals, one placed by the Yamanaka clan, I'll have to talk to Inoichi about that sometime… that kind of thing. Even a tracking seal. They're all gone, now."

Naruto looked round to see the other three staring at him.

"People… placed seals on you?" Shino asked and Naruto nodded.

"Yep, apparently had any more been added, it would have affected the main seal quite badly, probably killing me and releasing a very angry Kyuubi." Naruto said. "At the moment, Kyuubi has access to all my senses, he can hear what I hear, see what I see, we can talk silently, he's very sarcastic at times. And if I let him, he can use his chakra. It's how I got my dagger and why I can summon my sword. Kyuubi modified it for me."

"That… is… so… awesome!" Kiba half-shouted. "And the tigers? Is that why you're their master?"

"Their _friend_." Naruto corrected. "Actually, it's a combination of my strength and willingness to wrestle them that first attracted their attention, then they learned a few tricks from observing me and decided that I'd make a great honorary tiger. From that point…" Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, now I'm here, I need some food, then I need to get some rest."

"The room next to ours is free." Hinata said with a smile as Shino rose and headed over to where the food was. "You can claim that one."

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Naruto opened his eyes as the door to his room opened and a figure slipped through. Kaze lifted his head, then settled down again and Naruto caught a whiff of lilacs and violets.

"Hinata… is something wrong?"

"Nope." Hinata whispered as she moved across to his bed. Lifting the sheet, she slid in and snuggled up to Naruto, resting her head on his shoulder. "I just wanted my snuggly."

Kaze coughed with laughter and Naruto glared at him.

"Laugh it up, furball. I don't laugh at you when you're chasing a lady-tiger, do I?"

Hinata giggled and shifted slightly, giving Naruto a tight hug that would have caused anyone else to temporarily lose the ability to breathe.

"You've got stronger." Naruto noted, wrapping his arm lightly around her and stroking her face with his free hand. Hinata nodded.

"We all have. Kiba was shocked when I revealed how strong I was, he's been training hard to build up his strength and chakra reserves so that he can claim to be the brawn of the team again. Shino's also been training, he's been working on his taijitsu and weapons-work. He uses a pair of scythes that he hides up his sleeves. Kiba's sticking to his clan's taijitsu, but he's using weights and has learned several new jutsu. He can hold his own against me in a spar again."

The two of them lay in comfortable silence for several minutes, then Hinata spoke again. "Naruto, how strong are you now?"

"Hard to say." Naruto mused. "I managed to hold off Orochimaru in the forest, but he wasn't trying all that hard. Zabuza-sensei says that I'm about equal to him in swordwork, I just need more experience, Anko insists that I could make Special Jonin now… overall, I think I'm fairly strong."

"As a clan-head and my future husband should be." Hinata murmured, shifting again. Naruto tilted his head, resting his cheek against the top of her head and she sighed in pleasure.

"Do Shino and Kiba know you're here?"

"Yep, and if they know what's good for them, they won't say anything." Hinata smirked. "Besides, we've had a long, hard day, and I thought I'd remind you that you're mine and I'm yours."

Naruto smiled and relaxed.

"I'd say more the former than the latter." He joked and Hinata gently slapped his forehead before resuming hugging him. "You know, it wasn't too long ago that you'd be fainting before even considering climbing into bed with me."

Hinata shook her head slightly. "No," she laughed, "It wasn't too long ago that I'd faint _because_ I thought about climbing into bed with you. Then Anko got her hands on me and taught me not to suppress my inner hentai so much."

"Your inner what?" Naruto asked. Hinata giggled.

"Something that makes me have naughty thoughts. Anko taught me how to cope with them without passing out. Now I can enjoy as many naughty thoughts about you as I want."

"How _did_ Anko help you? Or should I not ask?"

"Orange books." Hinata smiled. "She had me read orange books."

"Oh!" Naruto realised. "Like Kakashi-sensei reads! I've never read them, Gai-sensei says they're unyouthful."

"They're only unyouthful if you have no-one to share them with." Hinata yawned, "And Anko said that after the exams, we should take a week off to share them in my apartment. Preferably with the silencing seals up."

"Okay," Naruto admitted. "I'm confused. I have no idea what you're talking about now."

"Good." Hinata sighed. "That means you'll pay attention when it's time for you to learn."

Naruto opened his mouth to ask her what she was talking about, then paused as he felt Hinata relax in a way that showed that she had fallen asleep.

"Goodnight, Hinata-hime." He whispered. "Have nice dreams."

'_Or naughty ones.'_ Kaze snorted. Naruto glared at him again.

"Shut up, furball."

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"Get up, lazybones." Kiba said, slamming the door open. "It's breakfast time, and they have cinnamon rolls."

"Cinnamon rolls!?" Hinata exclaimed, lunging out of bed. "Where?"

Kiba started to laugh as Shino entered and handed a pile of neatly-folded clothing to Hinata. "We will be waiting downstairs for you while you and Naruto get dressed. Another two teams have shown up, one from Sound, the other your cousin's team. I would advise hurrying to ensure that there are some rolls left by the time you get down. Kiba, come."

The door closed behind them and Hinata quickly stripped out of her nightwear and started to pull on her clothing before pausing and blushing, looking at Naruto. After a moment, Naruto closed his eyes and turned away as rustles of fabric told him that Hinata was finishing getting dressed.

"Okay, I'm done. See you at breakfast!"

Hinata almost flew out of the door, still blushing furiously as Naruto climbed out of bed. Pulling out a storage scroll, he unsealed a new outfit and got changed.

'_It's funny how Precious Flower With Eyes Of The Moon still acts embarrassed on occasion, especially given she's going to be your mate.'_ Kaze noted as he stretched, reaching from one end of the room to the other. Naruto shrugged.

"She'll get better." Naruto said with a smile as he finished buckling his special sandals. "Besides, she's walked in on me getting changed a few times, so it's not like it was unfair."

'_I thought it was a two-leg tradition to knock on the door before entering.'_ Kaze said, sounding confused and Naruto nodded.

"It is, but since Hinata and I are to get married, I told her that she's always welcome in my room without the need to knock. She's got several eyefuls and I swear that she was using the Byakugan at least once. Not that I mind, it's Hinata, after all."

'_You two-legs are so contradictory.'_ Kaze laughed. _'Go, fill your stomach with food and your heart with your mate-to-be. I want to get back to sleep.'_

Naruto grinned as he headed down to the dining hall, where the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha was waiting for him.

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"Morning, dobe."

"Teme."

Hinata looked confused as Naruto and Sasuke cheerfully insulted each other.

"I thought you two hated each other?" She said. "You know, the whole _thousand years of pain_ incident and all that?"

Sasuke smirked. "Nope, I needed reminding how much more I need to improve, and he did so. If not for him, my team would be dead and I'd be in Orochimaru's grasp."

"He figured it was worth five jutsu from the Uchiha vaults." Naruto commented. "I need to get a few unpredictable jutsu into my repetoire anyway."

"My eternal rival, you are here also!"

Everyone turned to see Lee, Neji and Tenten entering the hall. Naruto leapt out of his seat and bounded across to Lee, apparently ignoring Neji's Byakugan-enhanced glower.

"Lee-nii-san, it is good to see you so hale and hearty!"

"Thank you, Naruto-nii-kun, it is wonderful to see you too!"

"Why were you in bed with my cousin last night?"

"Lee-nii-san!"

"Naruto-nii-kun!"

"I saw you with my Byakugan."

"Lee-nii-san!"

"Naruto-nii-kun!"

"I'm asking you a question!"

"LEE-NII-SAN!"

"NARUTO-NII-KUN!"

"Look away NOW!" Sakura shouted and everyone spun round.

"That is one heck of a technique." Kiba said, looking at the shadow of him cast by the _Sunset Genjitsu_. "But why did he get Lee to do that?"

The light faded and they turned back, seeing Neji curled into a fetal position, rocking back and forth.

"I think Neji-nii-san was trying to intimidate Naruto, and that was his response." Hinata sighed. "Excuse me a moment."

Rising from her seat, Hinata walked over and crouched down beside Neji, giving him a hug. "It's alright, Neji-nii-san, the genjitsu has faded, the youthfulness isn't going to hurt you, it's all right…"

"You'd have thought he'd be used to that by now." Naruto shrugged, leading Lee and Tenten back to the table. Sakura tilted her head.

"Was Neji right? You slept in Hinata's bed last night?"

"Of course not!" Naruto exclaimed, looking shocked. "No true shinobi would _ever_ impose on a lady like that. I never even set so much as a single foot in her room last night, as Kiba and Shino can verify."

Shino nodded in confirmation while Kiba grinned widely. Sakura nodded. "So Neji was wrong."

"No, he was right." Hinata said, leading a shell-shocked Neji over and guiding him into a seat. "I wanted my snuggly, so _I_ went to _him_."

"Your snuggly." Sasuke repeated in disbelief. "You call the one who fought Zabuza to a standstill, who held his own against Orochimaru, the one who can create an army of Kage Bunshin, your _snuggly_?"

Hinata blushed slightly as she nodded and Sasuke dropped his head into his hands.

"I can't deal with this right now. That's like calling one of your tigers Furball."

"I do call them that, whenever they annoy me." Naruto grinned. Sasuke shook his head in disbelief.

"If anyone else said that, I wouldn't believe it."

Naruto laughed.


	21. Chapter 21

_Author's Note – Nope, still don't own Naruto. Did you really think that would change?_

_Oh, there may be a delay before the next update, need to re-write several of the chapters._

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**Chapter Twenty-One – Preliminary Knockouts Part One**

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Naruto looked around as he stood in the large hall. Several other teams had made it, all of the Konoha 13 and another Konoha team, theSuna siblings and a a trio from Sound.

"Given how many teams entered, I expected more to make it through." He noted.

"We sent ANBU to tell the teams that Orochimaru was known to have been in the Forest." Anko said from just behind him. "Half of the remaining teams bailed at that point. You're looking at those brave enough and skilled enough to win. Pay attention, the Hokage's about to speak."

Naruto nodded and turned his attention to the raised dias at the front of the room where the Hokage was standing. An instant later, Anko appeared by his side and Naruto glanced back to see the Anko behind him vanish in a cloud of smoke.

'_heh, Kage Bunshin.'_

"Alright, now pay attention!" Anko said, her voice echoing through the hall. "Lord Hokage is about to explain the third exam to you, so you'd better pay attention, maggots! Lord Hokage, they're all yours."

Naruto his a smirk at how Anko had gone from commanding to respectful with that final sentence, then he hid his amusement as the Hokage stepped forwards.

"Ahem. First, before I tell you what the third exam entails, I want to explain something about the test itself. Listen closely now, it's something all of you need to understand."

The hall seemed to go absolutely silent as the Hokage spoke.

"I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams. Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjuction with our allies? To raise the ability levels of the shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations, to be sure. But it's important you understand it's true meaning. The exams are,so to speak… They're a representation of the battle between allied nations."

Everyone seemed to inhale in shock at that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten asked before she could stop herself.

"Now, if we look at our history," the Hokage continued, "All the countries that we're currently allied with were once neighbouring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each other's military strength meaninglessly, those countries picked champions to do battle on behalf of their countries at a mutually selected location. That was how the Chunin selection exams originally began. These exams give ninja a chance to test themselves against each other, carrying the pride of their nation on their backs.

"Many leaders and people of prominence from various countries are invited to attend this exam as guests, and to possibly seek shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, those rulers will watch your battles, and take note of the strengths that each ninja, and each nation is developing. The strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja while conversely, the requests for countries that are deemed weak, decline. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better it's position when it comes to negotiating with neighbouring countries, so it is important to show how much military strength our village has. In other words, these exams are nothing less that a replacement for war, giving each nation a chance to show the strength of its shinobi, and thus the strength of its military."

The hall remained silent as everyone considered the Hokage's speech, then a sickly-looking Jonin stepped forwards and Naruto smiled slightly as Hayate Gekkostarted speaking.

"We never expected so many of you to make it through, so we are holding a preliminary round of one-on-one duels to reduce your numbers. Before we do so, do any of you feel you cannot proceed any further? If you do, your team will not be penalised as the teamwork portion is over."

For a moment, no-one moved then Kabuto raised his hand. "My reserves are still depleted, I wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight."

Hayate nodded as Kabuto made his way to the exit. "There are twenty-one remaining, we wish to reduce the number to less than half of that. Does anyone volunteer to participate in more than one battle?"

"I do." Naruto said, causing everyone to look at him. "And to make it fairer, I'll allow my opponents to decide whether I use my sword, or if I fight alongside my Great Tiger partner, Kaze, instead."

For several more seconds, everyone stared at him, then the Hokage chuckled. "Confident, aren't you, Naruto. Well, with your Kekkei Genkai and training, how could you be otherwise. Very well. You fight twice. Gekko?"

"The screens behind me will display the names of the participants for each round." Gekko said, and everyone looked up at the screens to see two names already displayed. "Round one is Uchiha Sasuke against Akado Yoroi. Could everone else please go up to the balcony to wait your turn."

Naruto looked up and saw Kaze looking down at him from the balcony. Leaping up, he landed by Kaze and stroked his head.

"Looks like we get one heck of a view from up here."

"We do, Naruto-kun." Hinata said as she walked towards him, Kyouka by her side. "That was quite a challenge you gave, will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine." Naruto grinned. "Let's watch Sasuke fight. Should be fun."

In the battleground, Sasuke stood facing his opponant and Hayatestood between them. "As Proctor, I can call the fight for any reason. Should you not cease fighting when I command, I am allowed to use any means I deem necessary, even lethal force, to stop you. Do you understand?"

Both Sasuke and Akado nodded and Hayate took a step back.

"Begin!"

Akado advanced, hands ready to grab, but Sasuke leapt sideways and unsheathed his sword in a fluid motion, slicing into Akado's arm as he did so. As Akado jolted backwards, Sasuke stabbed him in the leg, sending him to the ground.

"I yield!"

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke." Hayate proclaimed.

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Chouji gulped as Naruto vaulted down from the balcony, landing lightly in front of him. Before Hayate could say anything, Naruto spoke.

"Your choice, Chouji. Do I use my sword or my cat?"

Chouji swallowed. "Cat."

Kaze rose, yawned and trotted down the stairs, coming to a halt behind Naruto before lying down. Naruto glanced at him, then back at Chouji, who swallowed before taking his stance.

"Begin!"

Naruto backflipped onto Kaze's shoulders and performed what to team 8 was a a very familiar sequence of handseals.

"_Combination Kagetora Clan Technique:_ _Great Tiger Henge no Jutsu!"_

"Holy shit!" Shikamaru gasped as Naruto, now in his tiger-shape, prowled towards a nervously-sweating Chouji while Kaze rose and padded off to the edge of the arena. Hinata smiled.

Chouji backed away, then paused, forming handseals of his own.

"_Body Expansion Technique, Meat Tank!_"

Naruto paused as Chouji swelled up, his arms, legs and head vanishing into his clothing, then the now-spherical Chouji rolled towards him, picking up speed rapidly.

"Flatten him!" Ino yelled as Chouji thundered towards Naruto, then her face froze as Naruto pounced, rolled and flung Chouji into the air, using his paws to bat him upwards like an oversized ball of yarn.

Hinata facepalmed.

After a few moments of playing with Chouji, Naruto pushed him up so he flew high into the air, then rolled out of the way as he crashed back down to earth. As Chouji pulled hiself out of the crater, Naruto pounced on him and fastened his jaws to the back of his neck.

"I yield." Chouji gasped and Naruto released him, backed away and returned to his human form.

"Good fight, Chouji." Naruto said, picking up the larger boy andeffortlessly slinging him onto his back. "Let's get you back to your team, hey?"

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Hinata stood firm, Kyouka a reassuring presence just behind her, as her opponant stopped opposite her.

"Hyuuga Hinata and Kinata Dosu, fight!"

Dosu started by striking his metal gauntlet, causing Kyouka to hiss, her ears folding back.

"You like that?" he mocked. "My melody arm is the perfect counter to that great big kitten of your…what the hell?"

Kyouka reared up and slammed her front paws down, causing the ground to ripple and throwing Dosu off his feet. As he pulled himself up, Hinata landed in front of him.

"You are in range of my divination. _Eight trigrams, sixty-four palms!_"

Her hands seemed to blur and Dosu jolted as the precise strikes shut off his tenketsu. As Hinata finished, Dosu slumped to the ground, unable to move.

"Go, Hinata! Go, Kyouka!" Naruto shouted with a wide grin as Kaze uttered a roar of victory. "Nice one!"

Hayate's "Winner, Hinata." seemed almost redundant at that point.

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"Prepare to lose." Ino declared and her opponant, Tsuchi Kin, laughed at her.

"I know how to avoid the Jutsu of the Yamanaka." She declared, throwing a pair of bell-tagged senbon at Ino, forcing her to abandon her hand-seals and dive sideways. "As long as I keep you from doing that mind-walk of yours, you are no match for me."

Ino dodged another pair of senbon, then a third pair before starting to stagger, unable to concentrate.

"What… what's going… going on…?"

"Who does the bell ring for, it rings for you." Kin mocked, twitching some thin threads attached to the bells, causing them to ring even louder. "I use the bells to cast my genjitsu, and you are caught. Surrender now before you lose."

"N..never…" Ino managed and Kin laughed, throwing another set of belled senbon. Ino staggered as she tried to fight the effects of the auditory genjitsu, then she fell sideways and vomited. Kin released the genjitsu and threw a single senbon at her, spearing her in the thigh.

"That one was covered in a paralytic agent." She noted. "It'll take a couple of days for it to wear off,but I have the antidote here. I think that I win."

"Winner, Kin." Hayate confirmed as he accepted the proffered vial. "Medic!"

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"Hyuuga Neji and Tsuragi Misumi, begin!"

Misumi lunged forwards, his arms and legs extending and twining around Neji's torso and limbs.

"Surrender now, or I'll break your neck." Misumi hissed.

"_Kaiten!"_

Misumi richoceted off the wall and collapsed in a motionless heap as Neji brushed some dirt from his shoulder. For a moment, everyone was silent.

"I think I won that one." Neji said with a smirk. "It was…"

"If you claim it was fate, you and I are going to have some _extreme_ training afterwards! And that'll be _after_ I get Lee and Gai to subject you to an extended _Sunset Genjitsu_!" Naruto shouted. Neji flinched and Hinata laughed. "Good move, though."

"Thank you, Naruto-san." Neji said, recovering his composure.

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Tenten smirked at her opponant, who responded by raising his arms to reveal holes in his palms.

"Temari no Sabuka and Abumi Zaki, begin!"

Abuma grinned and fired a blast of sound from his palm, only for it to bounce of Temari's quickly-deployed fan.

"Oh hell, a wind user."

Temari smirked and Abuma stepped backwards, launching another attack which Temari deflected just as effortlessly before swinging her fan in a complex pattern, fully opening it as she did so.

"_Tornado!"_

Abuma had just enough time to throw his hands up in a vain attempt to block the incoming attack before the wind blasted him into the air and against the wall. Temari's smirk grew as Abuma fell to the ground, both arms and one leg obviously broken by the impact.

"Winner, Temari."

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"Aburame Shino…"

"I forfeit."

Genma stared at Shino. "What?"

"I forfeit." Shino said. "I am no match for Gaara of the desert, his abilities are too much for me to deal with. I have seen him in action, and I have no wish to die like his previous adversaries. I acknowledge that I am no match for him, and therefore I forfeit."

Gaara glared at him as Hayate shrugged.

"Winner, Gaara."

Shino returned to the balcony, ignoring Gaara's glare, and Hayate called out two more names.

"Higurashi Tenten and Kagetora Naruto."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two – Preliminary Knockouts Part Two**

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"Higurashi Tenten and Kagetora Naruto."

Naruto vaulted down to the floor and turned to see Tenten approaching down the stairs. As she approached, she nodded to him and he returned the greeting.

"Tenten, cat or sword?"

"Sword." Tenten said, pulling out a small scroll and unsealing a katana. Fastening it to her belt, she pulled out another couple of scrolls. Naruto nodded and held out his hand.

"Come."

Several of the genin gasped as the Kitsune's Claw materialised in Naruto's grip, and he settled into a defensive stance.

"Two of Momochi Zabuza's students meeting in battle." He mused, glancing over to where Zabuza and Haku were standing, watching them. "This will be a battle everyone will remember."

Tenten nodded and flexed her fingers, letting three Kunai drop into her hand ready to throw.

"Tenten and Naruto, begin!"

Tenten flung her Kunai at Naruto, then leapt sideways, unleashing more projectiles. Naruto responded by whipping his sword around in a complex spiralling movement that deflected every single one of the kunai, then he flung his dagger at Tenten's feet, embedding it in the floor as Tenten rolled out of the way, coming to her feet and unsheathing her katana in a single move. The two of them paused briefly, then they hurtled towards each other, swords ringing as their paths intersected and seperated again.

"Damn." Tenten mused, looking at the tear in her trouser leg. "Another inch and that would have hurt."

Naruto looked at his arm. "You managed to scratch me."

"Yeah, but your insane healing has probably sorted that already." Tenten replied, dropping into a fighting stance. Naruto grinned and spun his sword one-handed before taking a low-guard stance.

For several seconds, neither one moved, then as if they were two bodies controlled by a single mind, they spun into action their swords moving so fast that to the observers, they seemed to be wielding metal fans that blurred and clashed in incredibly complex patterns before they leapt away from each other.

"Dammit." Tenten said, looking down at the rip in her top that was exposing her stomach and the slight scratch on it. "You almost got me that time. You've been holding back in our spars."

"So have you." Naruto replied, glancing down at his left flank where Tenten had managed to slice straight through his reinforced tunic. "Repairing this will cost me quite a bit."

"I'll ask dad to give you a discount." Tenten grinned. "But I think I'm going to win this time."

"Don't count on it." Naruto smirked, jamming his sword into the ground as he noted where she was standing. "_Demon Technique, Reverse Dagger Summoning!_"

Tenten blinked as Naruto vanished in a flash of red chakra, then her eyes widened as his left arm locked around her neck, his other hand lightly gripping her right hand and the katana in it. For a moment, she remained motionless, then she slumped.

"That's a new trick."

"Meh, it's how I escaped from Orochimaru." Naruto admitted. "So, you yield?"

"Yeah." Tenten sighed. "I yield. Dammit.

"Winner, Naruto." Hayate said as Naruto released Tenten.

"For what it's worth, you put up a damned good fight." He said and Tenten smiled at him.

"You did too. You deserved this one. I should have called cat instead. Maybe next time."

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"Haruno Sakura and Inuzuka Kiba, fight!"

Sakura looked at her opponant and gulped. "Erm, you wouldn't hit a girl, right?"

Kiba barked with laughter. "You're kidding, right? I'm teamed up with the deadliest Kunoichi in Konoha, one who still kicks my tail around the training fields. I have to go all out to make sure she doesn't KO me. You really think that I wouldn't hit a girl given that I know how dangerous they can be? Get a clue."

Hinata hid her blush in her hands as Naruto and Neji both smirked at her embarrasment.

"_All Fours Jutsu!_" Kiba shouted as he flung a soldier pill into Akamaru's mouth. Akamaru gulped the pill down and leapt onto Kiba's back, his fur turning red. "_Man-beast Clone Jutsu!_"

Sakura took a step back as the cloud of smoke cleared to reveal two freal-looking Kibas snarling at her, then they both charged. Sakura raised her arms in a useless gesture of protection as both Kiba's slashed at her…

… sending a log flying into the wall.

"Substitution." Sasuke half-whispered. "Very clever, Sakura."

Both Kibas looked round, then they looked up to see Sakura stood on the ceiling of the hall, dropping some vials. The Kibas tried to dodge, but they got caught in the vapours and emerged, falling onto the floor, twitching slightly. Sakura dropped down, landing lightly on the floor.

"Gas pellets, paralysis gas payload." She explained, looking at the two Kibas. Pulling out a Kunai, she walked over to one of them and placed her Kunai against his neck. "I guess that I… Wha?"

The downed Kiba grabbed her hand and rolled, pulling her off her feet and pulling her over in a throw that slammed her full-length on the ground. Before she could recover, Kiba had pulled the kunai from her grip and placed it against her neck while the other Kiba had leapt over and grabbed her hands, pinning them above her head.

"Playing possum." Kiba growled. "Guess _I_ win."

Sakura closed her eyes and nodded slightly. "I yield."

"Winner, Kiba."

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"Nara Shikamaru and Sai, begin!"

Sai leapt back as Shikamaru's shadow extended towards him, then pulled out a scroll and a paintbrush, starting to draw on it. An instant later, the scroll was ripped out of his hands by a thrown kunai.

"I don't know what you can do with that scroll, but I don't think I want to find out." Shikamaru said, moving forwards.

"I forfeit!"

Shikamaru froze as if caught in his own shadow technique.

"You forfeit? Just like that?"

Sai nodded. "My skills without my scroll do not allow me to proceed with any real hope of victory against your shadow skills, so forfeiting is the only logical choice."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, at least this fight wasn't as troublesome as it could have been."

"Winner, Shikamaru."

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"Kankuro No Sabuka and Rock Lee, begin!"

Kankuro placed his wrapped bundle on the floor and looked up, only to be sent into the wall by a powerful spinning backhand punch. Lee didn't even hesitate, he grabbed the bundle and swung it up and over, slamming it into the ground, before pulling at the wrappings to reveal a knocked-out Kankuro.

"My otouto told me you were a puppet user." Lee said to his unconscious enemy. "Creating a strategy to defeat you was easy with that knowledge."

"Winner, Rock Lee." Hayate said as medics appeared to carry off the downed puppeteer. "Could all the winners please come down?"

Naruto landed on the ground, then caught Hinata as she dropped down. Hand in hand, they joined the others as they lined up.

"You ten have passed the second stage. The third stage takes place in a month's time, you can take that time to train and research your opponants. Now, please take one of the tokens from this box and read out your number."

"I am number three!" Lee exclaimed.

"Five." Sasuke said.

"Number ten." Temari announced.

"Six." Intoned Gaara.

"Four." Kiba said and Akamaru barked from on top of his head.

"Seven." Said Kin.

"Nine." Hinata half-whispered.

"Number one, as I always knew I was." Naruto laughed.

"Two." Said Neji. "Don't say _anything_, Naruto."

Naruto gave him his best _'who, me?'_ look and several of the other genin chuckled.

"And I'm number eight." Skikamaru said. Hayate nodded and finished writing on the clipboard before turning it round so that they could see it.

"As you can see, Naruto, Neji, Lee and Kiba will face up to four fights, depending on how well they do, while everyone else has three at most. The first round wil be Kagetora Naruto and Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara no Sabuka, Tsuchi Kin and Nara Shikamaru and finally Hyuuga Hinata and Temari no Sabuka. The winners of battles one and two will fight each other, the victor to fight the winner of battle three for a place in the final match. The winners of battles four and five will fight each other, the winner from that reaching the final match. Any questions? Good. Report back to your Jonin-sensei and be ready. Remember, you have one month to prepare."

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"…and _two_ of my youthful genin got through, compared to only _one_ of yours, my eternal rival." Gai gloated as he helped himself to another serving of food.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Curse your Hip and Too Cool attitude Kakashi!" Gai ranted as most of the people around the large table laughed. Naruto grinned as he reached out for the ladle, only for Hinata to slap his hand.

"You've already had three helpings of Ramen." She said sternly. "It's time for you to eat something more nutritious."

Naruto looked at her and she smiled at him.

"Don't give me that look, we both know I'm better at doing it than you are. Now here, eat up."

"Wow, you are _so_ whipped." Kiba smirked from across the table, then he paled as Hinata looked at him.

"Kiba, your tactical acumen seems to be as lacking as normal." Shino noted from beside him. "Saying anything that could annoy Hinata is… unwise."

"Ah, come on." Kiba whined. "I won't meet her until the finals, give me a break here."

Shino stared at him. "You are up against the only genin who can hold his own against Naruto going all out in your first match. If you manage to win that, you are up against either Naruto or Neji, most likely Naruto… I mean no offence, Neji-sama."

"None taken." Neji shrugged. "In the last ten spars I've had with Naruto, I've only won three times. Please, continue."

"Thank you." Shino said. "Even assuming you manage to beat Naruto or Neji, that places you up against Uchiha Sasuke with his Sharingan or Gaara the Jinchuuriki of Suna. The chances of you succeeding against all of them with your current capabilities is… low."

"Hey." Kiba protested. "Stop ruining my dreams."

"That genjitsu was the worst thing I have ever encountered." Ino shivered. "I tired to dispell it, but it just kept getting stronger, it was like the whole world was rippling around me, I couldn't stand, I couldn't attack, I just… It still gives me the shivers as to how helpless I was."

Sakura nodded. "At least you didn't fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book. I thought I was intelligent, I can't believe that _Kiba_ managed to outwit me. It was so embarrasing. From victory to defeat in half a second, and all because I let my arrogance take over."

"You were too clever." Kiba said. "I was counting on you being clever enough to keep track of which one was me and which was Akamaru. If you'd gone for Akamaru, I'd have been in trouble."

"Tell me more about Kin's genjitsu, please." Shikamaru asked. "It would be less troublesome if I knew in advance what to expect when I go up against her."

"Gakis are doing well." Anko said, looking down the table. "They've really got the whole teamwork thing down now, and those who haven't won are inspired to do better next time."

"While only one of mine got through," Kakashi said, "his matchup in the third stage will be a problem."

"Emo's up against a Jinchuuriki, Gaki told me." Anko said flatly. "You'll need to give him some serious moves to last against the Ichibi container. Speed as well, Emo needs to go faster, lots faster."

Kakashi nodded as Asuma winced. "Shikamaru's already complaining about how he's fighting girls all the way through to the finals. He's also rather worried about Naruto's ability to turn into a giant cat, he claims he's having a hard time coming up with a counter to _that_."

"I need to get Kiba to train in more than just his clan techniques." Kurenai said, glancing over to where Kiba was arguing with Sasuke. "Just facing off against Lee will not be a trivial challenge, Lee's speed is scary."

"And that's _with_ him wearing weights." Kakashi noted, causing Kurenai to stare at him in shock. "What? I helped him train a bit, teaching him some ninjitsu that he could integrate into his fighting style. I'd offer to help with Kiba, but I need to seriously up Sasuke's game if he is to make it through the finals intact. He'll be fighting two Jinchuuriki, but the second one will hopefully cut him some slack."

"Two?" Kurenai asked and Kakashi slapped himself on his forehead.

"Oh, I forgot. _Legally_, since the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into his own son, Naruto is not a Jinchuuriki as he's _not_ the Yondaime's son. But, yeah. If Sasuke manages to take down Gaara, which he might since he lasted against Orochimaru, he's then got Naruto to face. And Naruto is just too good."

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The door to Naruto's room opened and a familiar figure slipped in.

"Needed your _snuggly_ again?" Naruto teased as Hinata slipped under the sheets and curled up against him, head pillowed on his shoulder. Hinata giggled and lightly slapped his chest.

"Stop that." She commanded. After a few moments, she twitched slightly, looking up at him despite the darkness.

"Are you alright? You're thinking about something."

"I need to take a trip to Wave." Naruto said. "The Elder of the Great Tigers told me about their history earlier, apparently I'm not the first Tiger-bondmate, they were linked to a small clan that joined Uzushiogakure just before it got wiped out. The remaining tigers fled, reaching Konoha just before my birth and Kushina snuck them into the Forest of Death, intending to place them somewhere else after I was born, using them as my bodyguards. Of course, the renegade Uchiha screwed things up and the tigers were stuck there until I discovered them.

"The thing is, they know where some of the treasures of Uzushiogakure are located and they want me to retrieve them. Scrolls, weapons, treasure that was hidden rather than smuggled out during the attack, even a summoning scroll or two. But it'll take a couple of weeks to make the trip."

"I'll come with you." Hinata said and Naruto shook his head.

"I'd love you to, but in a month, you're up against Temari, then probably Shikamaru. You need to train, Hinata. I'll be trainign like anything when I get back, but I can afford it since I can use Kage Bunshin to get more training time in, something you can't do."

For a moment, Hinata struggled to find an arguament, then she slumped in defeat. "You're right, damn it." She muttered. "But you take good care of yourself out there, I want you back unharmed."

Naruto grinned as he stroked her hair reassuringly. "Don't worry. Let me check something with my tenant, I may be able to come up with something."


	23. Chapter 23

_Hey, guess what? I still don't own Naruto, nope nope!_

_Oh yeah, working on the next group of chapters, sorry for the delay._

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**Chapter Twenty-Three – Training And A Return To Wave**

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"Yo, brat." Anko said with a grin as she appeared behind Hinata who was looking down the road that Naruto and a dozen Great Tigers had vanished down. "You look distracted, so I think it's time to get your mind off the Gaki and get ready to do some serious… is that the Kitsune's Fang?"

Hinata followed Anko's gaze to the dagger resting along her thigh. "Not quite. Naruto-kun had it made, then he did something odd, infusing his chakra, the Kyuubi's chakra and my chakra into it. I don't know exactly how it works, but he is always aware of where it is, and thus where I am, and if I concentrate whle holding it, it tells me where he is. It also does this, _come_!"

The dagger vanished and reappeared in her hand.

"I can't do the reverse-summon thing Naruto-kun does with his, but this dagger lets him do it to reach me whenever he wants."

Ankos eyebrows had raised as Hinata explained the properties of her new weapon. "Damn, girl, he must have _serious_ hots for you if he's willing to make something like that for you."

"I think he does." Hinata giggled. "Even if my snuggly and I haven't started reading the orange books together yet."

"That'll happen soon enough." Anko said, turning Hinata round and pushing her towards the training grounds. "Now come on, it's time to get you stronger. When you hit the finals, you're going to give Gaki a real fight!"

"But you're his sensei." Hinata half-protested as Anko towed her away from the gates. "Shouldn't you be working on making _him_ stronger, not me?"

"Gaki ain't here, you are." Anko said. "Besides, he learns best going up against superior opponants, so if I make _you_ stronger, it makes _him_ stronger too. See?"

Hinata frowned as she tried to follow the logic.

"I… think so…"

"Good!" Anko exclaimed. "Now come on, training time and dango time's a-wasting!"

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"Become a bandit, it's eeeeasy money, you said." The man groused. "Merchants using the bridge are easy pickings, you said. We'll get lots of money and retire with willing, beautiful ladies, you said."

"Shut up! It's not my fault!"

"Not your fault?!" The first man shouted. "You got us into this mess, you led us into banditry, you never told us that we could expect HAVING FUCKING GIANT TIGERS ATTACK US!"

"To be fair," Naruto said from where he was jogging beside the men who were tied up and slung over the backs of two of the greatly amused Great Tigers, "It's not like he could have predicted _me_."

"I don't care." The first man sulked. "It's still his fault."

"My fault?" the second man asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "You didn't have to join me, you knew the risks."

"They didn't include giant tigers as far as I knew." Came the riposte. "Ninja, yes, giant tigers… no."

"Shut up, the pair of you." Said the third prisoner. "I've had it with your complaining. Ninja-san, can you _please_ slap them?"

"Not without risking killing them." Naruto said, scooping up a rock and cushing it in his left hand. The two bandits who hadn't seen him using his strength before gulped in fear.

"Still his fault." The first man muttered as the town came into view.

"SHUT! UP!"

The townsfolk looked up and several of them started to cheer and call out greetings as they recognised the giant cats. Naruto waved back, then grinned as he saw the statues flanking the bridge, life-sized statues of the tigers sat protectively, looking outwards. A glint of metal caught his eye and he slowed down to read the plaque set onto the side of the bridge.

_The Great Tiger Bridge was built with the help of Ninja from Konohagakure and their allies, the Great Tigers._

_This Bridge is dedicated to their courage, bravery and indomitable willpower._

_Haruno Sakura. Genin_

_Hatake Kakashi. Jonin_

_Kagetora Haku. Chunin_

_Kagetora Naruto. Genin_

_Mitarashi Anko. Jonin_

_Momochi Zabuza no Kagetora. Jonin_

_Sai. Genin_

_Uchiha Sasuke. Genin_

_They brought the greatest gift of all to Wave._

_Hope._

Naruto smiled at the inscription and looked up at the statues, recognising them.

"Heh, Kaze, this one's you, and that one is the Elder. Looking good."

'_They know perfection when they see it.'_ Kaze preened and Naruto laughed.

"I see they got the Haku and Zabuza's names right, they must have been keeping track of what's been happening."

"We were indeed." A voice said and Naruto spun round.

"Tazuna-san! Inari!"

"We came as soon as we heard that someone was here with some Great Tigers and some prisoners." Tazuna said. "I guess these are the bandits from between here and Konoha? I was about to ask Konoha for help in getting rid of them, but since you've already done it, I think we can spring for a B-rank payment for you."

"They were C-rank at best." Naruto grinned. "And I'm not talking a _guard-the-bridge-builder_ C-rank."

"Is Anko-san here?" Inari asked, looking round and Naruto raised one eyebrow.

"Anko-sensei, no. She's back in Konoha. I'll be happy to take a message back for her once my mission is done."

"Thanks." Inari grinned. "She's a really cool ninja, bit scary but really cool."

"So," Tazuna said as some villagers started to unload the bandits, "What mission do you have, and do you want a place to stay?"

"I'm trying to reach Uzushiogakure." Naruto said. "I'll need a boat."

"Not a problem." Tazuna said with a wide smile. "After your mission, we gained quite a few boats, and some sailors. Heck, we even put a dock at the other end of the bridge to help shift cargo. I'll put the word out and by tomorrow, you'll have your boat and a crew."

"I want to go too!" Inari said, looking up from the tiger that he was stroking. "Please?"

"If Tazuna and Tsunami say it's alright, then yes." Naruto said after a moment's thought. "However, you will do _exactly_ what I say, and you _will_ stay with at least one of the tigers at all times."

Inari nodded as Tazuna laughed. "Well, come on. I'm sure Tsunami will be happy to see you, and you can tell us all about how the rest of our heroes are."

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"That was delicious. Thank you." Naruto said, leaning back and rubbing at his stomach. Tsunami smiled at him.

"So, I heard that Inari wants to go with you to Uzushiogakure." Tsunami said, giving her son a quelling look as he started to pipe up. "You know that the island's deserted, has been since the last Shinobi war."

"There are certain… clan items hidden there that I have to find." Naruto said. "As a descendant of one of Whirlpool's clans, I can get into the hidden vaults and claim them for the Kagetora and Konoha, with a cut for Wave for your help."

Tazuna shook his head. "Nah, keep it all for yourself, you've earned it with what you and your friends did against Gato."

"I'll pay the boat hire, at least." Naruto said and Tazuna shrugged.

"Sure thing. I don't see a problem with that."

"Hey, look!" Inari shouted, pointing out the window. Naruto rose from the chair and joined the others.

"Okay." Tazuna snorted. "I should have expected that."

Naruto grinned at the sight of the village's youngsters crowding round the tigers, stroking them and climbing all over them. Kaze looked across, gave a long, slow wink, then turned back and nuzzled the girl who was trying to stroke his head.

"They love kids." Naruto explained. "I think it's because they lost so many cubs during their time in the Forest of Death, they regard children as… almost sacred. They'll do anything to protect them."

"Alright, Inari." Tsunami said from behind them. "You can go with Naruto tomorrow."

Inari cheered and Naruto smiled down at him.

"Glad to have you aboard, kid."

"Yay!" Inari shouted. "I get to go on an adventure with Anko-sama's student!"

Naruto blinked as Tazuna and Tsunami laughed.

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"Okay, kid, it's time… to… where'd you go?"

Anko frowned as she ooked at the empty (albeit rumpled) bed.

"Anko, what are you doing in my student's apartment?"

"Oh, hi, 'Nai-chan." Anko said, bending to look underneath the bed. "I was going to give her some more training in snake-style taijitsu, but she isn't here. Did you… no, you're here, so where is she?"

Kurenai frowned as Anko stepped into the bathroom, then emerged shaking her head.

"No sign of her… oh hell, she didn't go after Naruto, did she?"

Anko sprinted out of the apartment and down the stairs, then she stopped and walked back up. "False alarm, Kyouka's still here, so she must be here too. Where in Kami's name…?"

"She's here." Kurenai said quietly, her voice filled with amusement as she looked into Naruto's room. Anko peeped round the doorframe and smiled at the sight of Hinata curled up on Naruto's bed, snuggled against his pillow which she gripped tightly.

"Girl's got it bad for him, don't she?" Anko smirked. "Maybe we should just move his stuff into the apartment today and save her all these little journeys. Heck, you could move in to here once we move the stuff to keep an eye on them."

Kurenai glared at her and Anko grinned, ducking away as Kurenai lifted a threatening fist.

"So, how do you recommend waking her up?" Kurenai said and Anko smirked.

"Cinammon rolls!"

Hinata catapulted herself out of the bed, landing in a slight crouch and looking round. "Cinammon rolls? Where are they?"

Anko collapsed with laughter and Kurenai shook her head. "Dammit, Anko. Stop teasing her like that. Bad enough that you encourage her to be a pervert…"

"Only with Naruto-kun." Hinata protested, blushing when Kurenai gave her a blank look. "It's not like I'm a real pervert, it's only Naruto-kun that I… I mean that… Anko-sensei, help?"

Anko pulled herself upright. "Girl's in love. Gaki loves her. Just accept it, 'Nai-chan. So, should we move his stuff through now to save time?"

"I thought they were waiting until _after_ the exams." Kurenai protested, trying to ignore the eager look on her student's face. "They're still kids!"

"No, we're not." Hinata said, grabbing and holding up her Hitai-ate. "Once we received these, we became adults. As Anko told me, having these means that we're old enough to drink, old enough to smoke, old enough to fight, old enough to kill and old enough to fu…"

"Okay, I got it!" Kurenai interrupted quickly. "Anko, what have you done to my little student?"

"She helped me to find myself." Hinata said. "I'm still me, just… more so. And right now, I need to get washed and dressed. If you will excuse me."

Kurenai watched Hinata walk across the hallway and into her own apartment, then she looked at Anko, who was pretending to cry.

"They grow up so fast, don't they, 'Nai-chan?"

"Oh, shut up. And you can shut up too."

"I didn't say anything!" Zabuza protested from his doorway.

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"Welcome aboard, Naruto-san!" The captain of the fishing boat said as Naruto leapt aboard rather than using the gangplank which was being used by some of the tigers to board. Much to Naruto's amusement, over half the tigers had chosen to stay behind to be fussed over and petted by the villagers, meaning that Kaze, the Elder and only four of the other tigers had chosen to accompany him, and the Elder was the one carrying Inari. The young boy had been ecstatic when he found out what honour had been bestowed on him.

"Thank you for volunteering to give me transport." Naruto replied, bowing slightly as he did so. "However, I wasn't told how much I owed you for this journey. I have money with me…"

"There's no charge for one of the Heroes of the Bridge and the Friend of the Tigers." The captain grinned. "Besides, the story of this mission will keep me in free sake for years! Alright, cast off!"

Naruto looked round and grinned as he saw the Elder sat in the bow of the ship like a living figurehead, Inari lying along his neck, chin resting between the Elder's ears. Naruto walked over to them.

"Having fun, kid?"

"It's amazing!" Inari exulted. "Naruto, what's the name of this tiger? It seems wrong to just call him 'you'."

"His actual name is complicated, but you can call him Elder." Naruto said. "He's kind of the leader of all the Great Tigers, sort of a furry four-legged Hokage. And don't panic, if he objected to you being on his back, you'd be on the floor by now."

Inari stared at the Elder, then leaned forwards and wrapped his arms as far round his neck as he could manage, giving him a hug. "Thank you, Elder."

The Elder started to emit a rumbling purr and Naruto grinned and headed back to where the captain was overseeing the crew as they set the sails.

"We'll be there within a day and a half." The captain said. "Your cabins are prepared."

"Thank you."

"For you, not a problem." The captain smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four – An Unexpected Result**

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"How long do you think you'll need?" The captain asked and Naruto shrugged.

"I have enough food and water sealed for a fortnight, even with Inari, so say about five days?"

"We'll see you then, and if we can't make it, someone will. You have my garuantee."

Naruto bowed, then leapt of the boat and landed on the pier. Scrambling onto Kaze's back, he winked at Inari.

"Hey, Inari, watch this. _Combination Kagetora Clan Technique:_ _Great Tiger Henge no Jutsu!_"

Inari's eyes widened as Naruto vanished into a cloud of smoke and re-emerged as a tiger.

"Wow! That is so cool!"

Naruto nodded as he stepped off Kaze's back, bowed to the Elder who nodded back, then started to trot away from the boat. Inari waved at the wide-eyed crew and then leaned forwards, grabbing onto the strap around the Elder's neck, the strap which the Elder had insisted on for Inari's sake.

"This is _amazing_!"

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"This… is…"

Naruto reverted to his human form and nodded slowly as his gaze swept over the ruined village below them. The fallen walls and broken pillars flanked a river that flowed through what had once, before its fall, been one of the most famous Hidden Villages in the world.

"Inari, this is one of the prices of being a ninja." Naruto said slowly. "The more famous you are, the better you are, the more people will come to envy and hate you. Uzushiogakure was renowned for its Fuuinjitsu, the arts of sealing, and that is why it was attacked and destroyed by an alliance of all those who feared its power, for only such an alliance could overcome those who lived here.

"My mother was from here and I have come to seek out her legacy and return to Konoha with it. In doing so, I ensure that the legacy of Uzushiogakure lives on, that its people didn't die in vain."

The group remained silent, each contemplating the evidence of past violence before them, then Naruto strode forwards.

"Elder, can you show me where the main vault was?"

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Inari gaped a giant chunk of rockhurtled out of the hole Naruto had excavated. Waiting a moment to be certain that no more flying masory was forthcoming, he edged forwards and cupped his hands to his mouth.

"You finished yet?"

"I've found the vault door, just as the Elder described." Naruto called back. "There seems to be something… something… woah!"

"Naruto!"

"I'm okay!" Naruto shouted back. "I think the vault somehow recognised me, it opened up. Hang on."

The squeal of stressed metal sounded, then Naruto's voice emerged.

"Okay, you can come down now. And bring the other lantern!"

Inari grabbed the second lantern and pausing only to light it, he made his way down the flight of steps that Naruto had cleared the fallen debris from. Reaching the older boy, he looked at the bent and twisted vault door barely hanging from its hinges.

"Why did you do that?"

"To stop it closing again." Naruto said logically. "I've sent in several Kage Bunshin to check it out, they haven't found any traps yet."

"You can talk to them with your thoughts?" Inari asked, impressed. Naruto shook his head.

"Nope, they're under orders to dispell if they get caught in a trap, or trigger one that resets, thus giving me their memories in the process. Since they haven't dispelled, they haven't found any traps."

"Wow, that's almost as cool as Anko-obaasan's snakes." Inari said, causing Naruto to give him an odd look.

"_Obaasan?_" He repeated. "I wouldn't advise calling Anko-sensei _that_, she can be very touchy about her age. Okay, one of my clones just dispelled, no traps found. Given how big this building was, I'm not surprised, it must have been Uzushiogakure's equivalent of the Hokage tower. Follow me and stay close."

Stepping through the doorway, Naruto held up his lantern so that the large room was illuminated. From the circular room, five other archways set at regular intervals led to long vaults while shelves between the archways held piles of scrolls.

"What do those signs above the arches mean?" Inari asked and Naruto looked up.

"That one is the Uzumaki crest, that one I think is the Senju crest, I wonder what it's doing here, I thought the Senju were a Konoha clan, the left-most is the crest of the previous clan who bonded to the Great Tigers… I don't recognise the other two, but I bet they were important. No, I take that back. The one in the middle is the crest for Uzushiogakure itself."

"Are you claiming all of it?" Inari asked and Naruto shook his head as he made a familiar hand-sign.

"No, even if I wanted to, I don't have the right. The Uzumaki and the Great Tiger things, yes. The Senju I'll take for Konoha, the Senju were one of the founding clans and there is at least one Senju still alive, Tsunade. The Uzushiogakure stuff, I'll take as it's my heritage as well, but the final archive? I'll pack it up and take it to Konoha, but it'll be stored in the vaults until we can figure out who, if anyone, should get it."

Inari nodded as fifty Naruto's appeared and the original opened the scroll he had brought with him and began unsealing smaller scrolls, passing them out.

"Alright, you know what to do. Ten into each archive and start sealing everything important. Weapons, jutsu scrolls, that kind of thing. Go!"

With a cry of "Hai!", the clones scattered to start their tasks and Inari whistled.

"Gramps said you helped loads with the bridge, is this how you did it?"

"Yep." Naruto grinned. "Kage Bunshin plus super strength equals easy ways to do physical tasks. And… what the heck?"

"What is it?" Inari asked with a frown.

"Someone just dispelled one of my sentry clones using… a glowing chain? Come on, and stay behind me. Guys, keep sealing stuff!"

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"I don't see anyone." Inari whispered as they looked round. The Great Tigers were also on guard, scenting the air and twitching their ears to catch any noise.

"Me neither." Naruto whispered back, closing his eyes and stretching his senses. "Whoever dispelled my clone either retreated or… wait… Watch out!"

Naruto grabbed Inari and leaped sideways as a glowing chain lashed out, curling around where Inari had just been. Dumping Inari on the Elder's back, Naruto sprinted towards the source of the chain, flanked by Kaze and another Tiger. As they approached the treeline, a person stepped out.

"My apologies for attacking you." She said. "I believed you to be an intruder, not a returned member of the Gokatora Clan."

Naruto blinked at her. "Gokatora? Um, yeah, my name's Naruto. Who are you?"

The red-haired girl bowed slightly. "My name is Uzumaki Honoka, one of the last survivors of Uzushiogakure."

"Kagetora Naruto, born of Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto replied, causing Honka's eyes to widen.

"You're Kushina's son?"

"Yes and no." Naruto shrugged. "By blood and bone, I am her child. By law, I am no relation to her, hence my name."

"And your father?" Honoka asked. "Which of the Gokatora was he?"

"He wasn't." Naruto said. "Again, by blood and bone, I am the son of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure. By law, I am no relation to him."

"The Yellow Flash?" Honoka asked, shocked. "But… why are you unrelated by law?"

"That is a long story." Naruto shrugged. "If you'll join us, I'll tell you, but it isn't a happy story."

"We stand in the ruins of one of the greatest villages in the world." Honoka sighed. "I doubt any story told here will be happy."

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"Honoka-san?"

Honoka looked up from the Fuuinjutsu scroll she was studying. "Yes, Inari-san?"

"Are you going to take Naruto up on his offer?"

"A proper place to live and a chance to rebuild the Uzumaki clan?" Honoka asked. "Yes indeed. Naruto's told me about his friends there, and about the few enemies who still remain in Konoha. I look forwards to seeing their faces when they meet a full-blood Uzumaki demanding the return of all the wealth they tried to steal from my cousin."

Inari grinned almost as evilly as Honoka as they shared a brief daydream of the panic that Naruto's enemies would shortly feel.

"I was wondering, though, what can you tell me about a girl named Hinata?"

Inari shrugged. "Not much, she's from the Hyuuga clan, she loves Naruto-san and they're going to get married soon."

Honoka nodded. "That matches with what I've heard, and…"

"Hey, Guys!" Naruto shouted, running over. "Look what I found in the Gokatora vault, it's a summoning contract, and the Elder says that I should sign it!"

Honoka tilted her head slightly. "If I remember rightly, the Gokatora summoning contract is a high-level contract."

"High-level?" Inari asked and Honoka settled back.

"Yes. There are several tiers, or levels of contracts, based on the power of the summons. The highest level are the Legendary contracts, the best known of which are the Toads, Snakes, Slugs and Salamanders. The bosses of those are said to be able to fight a Biju with a good chance of winning. Only one person, if that, can sign the contract per generation, they are very picky.

"Next are the High-level summons. Many of them are family-linked and they can fight along their summoners, often acting as weapons or partners. The Greatcats, Monkeys, Wolves, Hawks and Bears are all of this type.

"Below them are the Medium-level summons. These ones have some combat potential, but are mainly used for other purposes. The Foxes, Chameleons, Ravens, Owls, Rabbits and Mantis are this level.

"Then the Low-level summons. No real combat potential, but other uses are common. These include Bees, Butterflies, Sparrows and Mice.

"Then we have the Unranked summons, which are subject to different rules. The only example I can think of offhand is the Shinigami. Users of Unranked summons are very rare, as they tend not to survive.

"As for the hierarchy, you can have multiple summons, but each new summons must meet with the approval of the previous one, and they tend to give it only for certain summons of the same or higher levels. So a Wolf summons _might_ allow you to sign up for Hawks or Salamanders, but not Sparrows or foxes, for instance. Should you sign for a lesser contract, your signiature on the higher one will be voided."

"Wow." Inari gasped. "You sure know loads."

"This one is… I think it says Greatcat." Naruto said, peering at the writing. Honoka gulped.

"If I remember right, you need to prove yourself in combat to the one you summon."

"No problems." Naruto said. "Now, how do I sign this thing? In blood? Thanks, Kaze."

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Naruto looked round, smiling at Inari and Honoka who were watching, along with most of the Great Tigers, from behind several large boulders that he had, at Honoka's insistence, moved to form an open bunker. Taking a deep breath, he went through the hand seals, channeling as much chakra as he could.

"_Kuchyose no Jutsu!_"

A massive cloud of smoke billowed up in front of him and when it faded, Naruto had to fight to stop his jaw from dropping. In front of him was a four-meter tall bipedal cat with white fur, gold-embossed silver armour and a white mane that flowed down around his shoulders. On his back was a massive sword and his helmet was silver with a golden crown.

'_What have you done?'_ Kaze whimpered. _'That's the Greatest of the Greatcats, Panthera Leo Krugeri Rex! No-one's ever summoned _him_ before!'_

The lion-man's piercing blue eyes looked down at them.

"**Who dares to summon me? And why?"**

Naruto stepped forwards. "My name is Kagetora Naruto, heir of the Gokatora tradition and blood-linked to the Uzumaki clan. I apologise for the unexpected summoning, your majesty, I was seeking to earn the right to summon one of the Greatcat clans and did not expect to summon one so mighty as yourself."

"**So, you wish to be a summoner? Then I shall test you, but no-one has ever passed my test before."** He said as he shrank to half his height and unsheathed his sword. **"If you can survive against me in one-on-one combat until the sun goes down, I shall grant you the right to summon one of the clans of the Greatcats."**

"And if I defeat you?" Naruto asked, causing the lion-man to roar with laughter.

"**Then I shall grant you the right to summon **_**all**_** the clans, and myself as well, for you will have earned it. Now, defend yourself!"**

Naruto summoned his sword into his hand just in time to block Krugeri's swing. Pushing it away, he countered the next few swings, then unleashed a combination attack that Zabuza had mercilessly drilled him in, one that usually ended with the victim's sword lying on the ground some distance away.

Krugeri countered it flawlessly.

"**Excellent, young one, truly excellent!"** he grinned as he pressed his counter-attack. **"You have trained well in the ways of the blade. But is the blade all you can use?"**

Naruto barely managed to dodge the line of rock spikes that leapt out of the ground when Krugeri stamped down.

'_**Kit, it's time. Remember how we discussed improving that use of the Fang?'**_

'_I do indeed.'_ Naruto thought back, disengaging from Krugeri's attack and grabbing the Kitsune's fang with his free hand. Krugeri raised one brow.

"**I can sense that the dagger which you hold is stranger than the sword that you swing so well. I am curious as to its use."**

"Fang, shatter!" Naruto said and the dagger glowed, reforming into a bundle of red senbon. Naruto threw them into the air and they spread out, falling down to cover most of the clearing. Krugeri absently blocked the only one headed for him, causing it to spin away.

"**That was it? I'm disappointed in you."**

Naruto grinned and vanished in a red flash. Krugeri spun and barely managed to block the attack aimed at his side, but Naruto vanished again before he could strike back, reappearing to launch as slash from the other side, one which Krugeri once again barely managed to block.

"**I… see…"** Krugeri panted as he frantically blocked the incoming attacks. **"I admit… I am… impressed, kid. You've… gained… my respect…"**

Krugeri spun and kicked, sending Naruto flying backwards and landing in a cloud of dust that briefly obscured him from view. Striding forwards, he placed his sword at Naruto's throat. Naruto just glared at him.

"**You have my respect, kid, so I'll let you live, and I'll even grant you the right to summon one of the clans, I think the Jaguars would do you well."**

"Actually," Naruto said from behind him as he wrapped his left arm round Krugeri's forehead and placed the edge of his swod against his throat, "I think that you mentioned something about all the clans?"

Krugeri froze as the Naruto on the floor vanished in a puff of smoke.

"**A Kage Bunshin."** Krugeri snorted in amusement. **"You actually managed to outwit me, kid, and **_**that**_** is very hard to do. Never let it be said that I do not keep my word, the clans of the Greatcats are yours to summon at will, and you may call upon me to grant single-clan scrolls should you know those who are worthy. Command us well, summoner, and may we battle together one day!"**

Naruto dropped to the floor as Krageri vanished in a cloud of smoke and slumped down, exhausted. As his vision faded, he saw Honoka, Inari and Kaze all running towards him.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five – A Clan Reborn**

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"That is a big wall."

"Zabuza said the same thing when he first saw it." Naruto commented, glancing over to his cousin, who was riding on the back of one of the tigers.

"He was right." Honoka said. "That is a _really_ big wall. And quite a large pair of gates, too."

"Yep." Naruto said. "Hey, Kotetsu, Izumo! Kagetora Naruto returning with new village member, Uzumaki Honoka. I'm taking her to see the old man now."

Both Kotetsu and Izumo jolted out of their seats, staring at the barefoot girl perched atop the Giant Tiger.

"U… Uzumaki?" Kotetsu managed. "You found another Uzumaki?"

"Yep." Naruto smirked. "And with most of the council bastards gone and replaced by ones who know not to meddle too badly, I see no problems in having the Uzumaki clan recognised again."

"Nice one." Izumo smirked. "Kotetsu and I always thought that you shouldn't have had your heritage stolen like that, now you can laugh at those who tried to destroy your clan."

"Not my clan anymore." Naruto corrected firmly. "I'm building _my_ clan, Honoka is going to resurrect _her_ clan under the protection of the Kagetora."

"I'll be staying with Naruto." Honoka smiled.

"Then welcome to Konoha." Kotetsu said. "We've been without a recognised Uzumaki for too long."

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Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, had seen many odd things in his life. He had fought against ninja with Kekkai Genkai that allowed them to reshape the battlefield, mow down hundreds of enemies in a single move or even predict the future. He had seen his pupils summon creatures larger than buildings and had witnessed the greatest jutsus of the age, the Rasengan and the Hiraishin.

He had even seen his favourite orphan effortlessly knocking down a wall and looking embarrassed.

None of that had prepared him for the sudden appearance of someone from a clan believed deceased.

"So, Uzumaki Honoka." He said slowly, looking at the damaged scrolls that she had provided as proof of her identity, scrolls she had handed over using the Chakra Chain technique that he had previously only seen Uzumaki Kushina using. "Your presence is both a great boon to Konoha, and something of a minor problem given that your clan was declared dead."

"After Naruto was disinherited by the now-fled council members." Honoka agreed.

"The now-replaced council and my three senior advisors, whose powers I have since curtailed quite dramatically. Unfortunately, the Daimyo still refuses to reverse his signing off on the decision, since it would imply that he made a mistake, and his pride won't let him admit that." Sarutobi gently corrected. "The Clan-heads will be happy to confirm your position in Konoha, but it will take a while to locate the Uzumaki funds and transfer them to your control. May I ask for your skill level?"

Honoka tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I guess I'm at least Chunin, I specialise in Fuuinjitsu, although since I'm an Uzumaki, that shouldn't be a surprise, and I'm a pretty decent at medical ninjitsu, although only for a few techniques."

Sarutobi nodded. "If you agree, I shall have your skills tested by one I trust, Hatake Kakashi, and he shall determine the rank you are offered next time he comes in to pick up supplies."

Honoka looked at Naruto, who nodded. "I know Kakashi, he was one of my teachers. He'll be fair."

"Then I accept, with gratitude." Honoka said with a smile. "Now, all I need is for somewhere to stay."

"You can stay with me." Naruto said. "I know Hinata'll be happy to meet you, and I think you'd get along with everyone else."

"Then again, I accept with gratitude." Honoka smiled.

"Excellent." Sarutobi said. "I'll get the paperwork started."

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"Naruto-kun!"

Honoka laughed as Hinata flew out of the door, catching Naruto in a flying glomp that sent him staggering back a few paces. As he recovered, she shifted her hands to his head and gave him a long, deep kiss before hugging him again.

"I missed you, Naruto-kun." She said and Naruto returned her hug.

"I missed you too, Hinata-hime." He half-whispered before bending slightly and scooping her up bridal-style into his arms, giving her another kiss as he did so. Hinata leaned her head against his shoulder, then tensed as she saw Honoka.

"Hinata-hime, this is Uzumaki Honoka, my cousin and soon-to-be head of the new Uzumaki clan. Honoka-chan, this is my fiancee Hyuuga Hinata, formerly heir of the Hyuuga clan. Hinata, who else is in?"

"Well," Hinata mused as Naruto carried her back inside, followed by a greatly-amused Honoka, "Haku is working at the hospital, Zabuza's off somewhere with his sparring partners and drinking buddies Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, Kakashi's still off training Sasuke, Anko's over at Iruka's again and Gai is out helping Lee train. So it's just me, really."

"Okay." Naruto said, putting her down and giving her a quick kiss. "Honoka, I'll introduce you to Haku, Zabuza, Kakashi, Gai and Anko when I can. In the meantime… oh no. I forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Hinata asked as Naruto slapped himself on the forehead.

"We don't have a spare bedroom! We've got the barracks, but if Honoka's staying with us…"

"We do have a spare bedroom." Hinata smirked, pulling Naruto up the stairs and motioning for Honoka to follow.

"We do? How?"

"Simple." Hinata said as they reached the top of the stairs. "Honoka can have this room."

"But that's mine." Naruto half-protested and Hinata shook her head.

"No it isn't. See, it's empty."

Honoka managed not to giggle at Naruto's confused expression, then Hinata pulled him away from the vacated room. "Your things are in here. You remember the plan?"

Naruto stared into the apartment, seeing the photo of him and Anko just beside Hinata's team photo on the sideboard, as well as his books on the bookshelves and other items arranged round the room.

"I thought we were going to wait…"

Hinata silenced him with a kiss and winked at the giggling Honoka. "Naruto, just this once, let me do the thinking and accept it. Your cousin needs a place to stay and now she has one, so stop complaining and say 'yes dear'."

"Yes, tenshi-hime." Naruto said with a smile and Hinata hugged him again.

"So, once you've unpacked, let's go out. I'd quite like to get to know your newfound cousin."

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"Teuchi! Ayame! One of everything and keep them coming! "

"Naruto-kun!" Ayame smiled. "How did your trip go?"

"I found new jutsu, some treasure and best of all, a cousin!" Naruto smiled. "Ayame-chan, this is Uzumaki Honoka. Honoka-chan, meet Ichiraku Ayame and her father, Teuchi."

"It's an honour to meet you." Honoka smiled and Ayame grinned.

"Well, since you're our favourite customer's cousin, your first bowl is on the house, for all three of you. Hinata, shrimp?"

"Yes please." Hinata said and Ayame turned to Honoka, who was looking at the menu.

"One beef ramen please."

"Beef, shrimp and normal Naruto order, got it!" Teuchi called from the kitchen and Hinata giggled.

"You come here often?" Honoka asked and Naruto nodded.

"At least three times a week, Ichiraku's Ramen is the _best_! Between Ichiraku's and Gai-sensei, I get to eat the best food in the whole world!"

Naruto broke off as Ayame slid a large metal bowl of steaming ramen in front of him, then slightly smaller bowls in front of Hinata and Honoka.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto said eagerly, scooping up the metal chopsticks. Hinata eagerly followed suit while Honoka inhaled the aroma before picking up her chopsticks and trying it.

"This is good!" She said after taking a bite, then she gave a shocked glance as Naruto put aside the empty bowl and accepted a second one. "That was fast!"

"It's Ichiraku's ramen." Naruto stated as if it explained everything, then almost dived into the bowl while Hinata giggled.

"You get used to it." She explained. "Naruto has quite an appetite. Eat up, it's best while still hot."

"Hey, Naruto, who's your friend?"

Naruto looked round and smiled. "Hello Kiba, Shino. This is my cousin, Uzumaki Honoka. Honoka-chan, meet Hinata's team-mates, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and his ninken, Akamaru."

"Wow, Naruto." Kiba said. "Why didn't you tell me you had such a _babe_ for a cousin? Ouch!"

Shino lowered the hand he had slapped Kiba's head with.

"Welcome to Konoha. I assume that you are staying at Tiger Forest?"

"I'm staying with my cousin." Honoka said and Shino nodded.

"That converted bunker and the surrounding area are known to all as Tiger Forest." He said. "It is good that you have a secure place to stay at. Hinata-san, Kurenai-sensei asked me to inform you that we have group training tomorrow at ten. I hope to see you around, Honoka-san. Kiba, come!"

Honoka watched them depart, smiling slightly as Kiba's litany of complaints interspersed with praise for her looks drifted back. Hinata shook her head.

"Sorry, Kiba chases any female of approximately his age." She apologised. "I think Shino's taken a liking to you, though. I've never seen him so… open before."

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"… and so I accepted the offer and became a Jonin." Zabuza said, waving his (fortunately empty) bowl of sake for emphasis. "Naruto adopted Haku as his cousin, yours too, now I think about it, and I became his uncle and got a temporary seat on the ninja council, I'm holding it until Naruto comes of age and he takes over. And with all the tigers to wrestle whenever I get bored and Gaki to train, as well as Uchiha Sasuke and Higurashi Tenten, I can honestly say I've never been happier in my life."

"That's good to hear." Honoka said, taking a sip from her cup of fruit juice. "I hope I come to like this place as much as you do."

"One warning, though." Zabuza said, leaning forwards. "If you hear Gai and Lee shouting each other's names, look away before they hug. Same for Gai and Naruto, or Lee and Naruto. Trust me on this one. I didn't when I first arrived, and it took me most of the day to recover."

Honoka's eyebrows rose. "It was that bad?"

"I've never seen _anything_ like it before, and I never want to again." Zabuza shivered as he let Naruto refill his sake dish. "Just take my word for it, don't be tempted to look for yourself."

"It's not that bad." Naruto protested and Zabuza snorted.

"You're immune, I still don't know how." He riposted, then he paused as Hinata walked by him.

"Gomen, I didn't want to interrupt, but it's getting late and I need my snuggly."

Zabuza's snort of laughter caused him to cover himself in sake as Hinata pulled Naruto towards the staircase.

"Snuggly?" Honoka asked, watching the vanishing couple.

"Snuggly." Zabuza confirmed, wiping his face. "She started calling him that during the second stage of the Chunin exam. It's because she likes to snuggle up to him in bed."

Honoka stared at him and he shook his head.

"No, don't get any bad thoughts about it. I know they're engaged and all, but as far as I can tell, they're both still virgins. They kiss and cuddle, but they've both decided that they'll wait until they get married before going any further."

"I had wondered." Honoka admitted, glancing at the staircase again. "Naruto mentioned that he still has another stage to go in the exams, what does it consist of?"

"Duels." Zabuza stated. "One-on-one fights until one participant gives up or cannot continue. Naruto's up against Hyuuga Neji in the first round, then probably that taijitsu specialist and his brother-in-all-but-blood Rock Lee in the second. Third will be either Sasuke the Sharingan user or Gaara the Jinchuuriki and finally… I'd guess Hinata. Here, I have a spare copy of the fight plan.

Honoka looked at it.

"What can you tell me about the other contestants?"

"Planning on doing some betting, heh? So am I. Let's start with Hyuuga Neji. He uses the Hyuuga taijitsu style Jyuuken almost exclusively, which is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness…"

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Hinata clapped her hands in joy as Naruto stood before her, having managed to succesfully perform one of the jutsu from the reclaimed Gokatora scrolls. Running up to him, she hugged him, then started to stroke his ears.

"So soft…" she whispered as the ears twitched underneath her gentle ministrations and Naruto almost melted against her. Movement caught her eye and she reached down with her free hand, catching Naruto's twitching tail and stroking it as well.

"Hinata…" Naruto moaned, "That feels… so… good…"

"You may want to stop if we are to learn this ourselves." Haku said, causing Hinata to leap away from Naruto and blush. "So this is _Secret Technique Tiger Enhancement_. Tiger ears, tail, some fur and enhanced reflexes, yes?"

"I think so, yes." Naruto said, checking himself over. "That's what the scroll said, anyway."

Hinata nodded and turned to Kyouka, who nodded slowly and presented her paw. Hinata used a kunai to prick it, drawing blood, then cut her own hand and let Kyouka's blood drip into the cut. As it did so, she started the handseal sequence that would infuse Kyouka's blood into her own and create a true bond between them. For a moment, both she and Kyouka seemed to glow, then the glow faded and Hinata looked at her hand, seeing the silver-coloured scar that showed that the bond had formed.

"Okay, now here's the technique, run through it a few times and try it out."

Hinata nodded as she read the scroll while Haku went through the bonding ritual with his own partner, _Stalks Across The Icy Lake_ or Hyou. One cloud of smoke later, Naruto stared at an incredibly cute catgirl version of Hinata who was standing there, ears and tail twitching.

"Wow." Hinata said, looking round. "My senses are better… and my Byrakugan is sharper! This is amazing!"

"KAAWAAAIIII!"

Hinata spun round just in time to be glomped to the floor by Anko.

"Oh Kami, you're just _so_ _cute_ like this!" Anko exclaimed, pulling the shocked girl into a tight hug as Naruto almost collapsed with laughter. "Look at those ears, that tail… that cute little look of confusion… If I didn't live in the same bunker as you, I'd be taking you home with me!"

Naruto fell over, clutching at his ribs as he howled at Hinata's situation.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six – Training And New Faces**

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Naruto slumped, gasping for breath as he released the jutsu. His form seemed to waver, then returned from his near-cat mode back to human.

"That was quite impressive." Said a familiar voice from the entrance and Naruto looked up with a smile.

"Jiji! What are you doing here?"

"I came to introduce you to a student of mine." Sarutobi said. "He's waiting upstairs and…"

Sarutobi stopped as a resounding slap echoed and Naruto winced.

"Oh dear. Sounds like someone tried something perverted with Honoka. She's happy to swap innuendoes, but if anyone actually tries anything physical…"

The sound of a fading scream echoed and Naruto sighed.

"Please tell me that the person you wanted to introduce me to isn't a pervert."

"Well, he can act a bit perverted at times." Sarutobi admitted. "He's an excellent shinobi and he's written many excellent books."

"Such as?" Naruto queried and Sarutobi coughed in embarrasment.

"Well, he's most famous for the Icha Icha series…"

"Jiraiya." Naruto stated. "I read his book_ The Tale Of The Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_. In fact, that's the book Kakashi-sensei used to teach me to read properly. He said that I was named after the main character."

Sarutobi looked impressed. "Jiraiya is one of the best sealing masters in Konoha."

"I bet Honoka's better." Naruto said. "I taught her the Kage Bunshin and she turned one of the storage rooms into her personal workshop. She makes storage seals and various tags there, and sells them to Tenten's dad. As family, I get them for slightly more than they cost to make but less than the retail price. She's also training Haku, Hinata and myself in basic Fuuinjitsu, storage seals and so on. Plus, she's placed security seals all round the bunker."

"I'd heard some of my shinobi saying that the new tags were the best ones they had come across, despite the cost." Sarutobi said with a smile. "I had wondered where they were coming from. But how does Kage Bunshin help?"

"It lets her do loads of tags at once." Naruto grinned. "Also let her fill out all the regristation forms very quickly. She says that Kage Bunshin is great for paperwork, as long as you concentrate on wanting to do it as you make the clones."

Sarutobi stared at him for a moment, then removed his hat, turned and started beating his head gently against the wall.

"Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka, baka…"

"Jiji… what's wrong…"

"All those years and I never thought of doing that." Sarutobi groaned.

"Doing what?" Honoka asked, appearing in the doorway. "Oh, by the way, there was a white-haired pervert up there. I chased him away, who was he?"

Sarutobi slumped against the wall as Naruto started to laugh.

"No, seriously. Who was he?"

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"Hinata, are you ready for… what's Jiraiya doing on the floor?"

"Oh, do you know him?" Hinata asked, blushing furiously. "Sorry, he made a comment and I… _didaneighttrigramssixtyfourp almsonhim_."

Naruto blinked. "No wonder he's out cold. Hang on. _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_."

A single clone popped into view and Naruto pointed to the white-haired man lying on the floor. "Take him to the hospital, then dispell once he's receiving treatment."

"Gotcha, boss." The clone said, picking up Jiraiya and slinging him over his shoulders. Naruto and Hinata watched him depart, then Naruto realised what he had originally been about to ask.

"So, you ready for the meal out?"

Hinata nodded as she adjusted her new top. "Yep, it's been a few days since I last saw Kiba and Shino. Where's Honoka?"

"Kakashi came back with Sasuke for supplies and Jiji commanded him to test her to see what level she is." Naruto said. "She said she'd join us there, she'll probably need to wash up first."

"I wonder what rank she'll get?" Hinata mused. "From when we sparred, I can tell she's really good."

"Chunin for sure." Naruto grinned as Hinata let him scoop her up in his arms. Walking outside, he looked round, then concentrated.

"Naruto, what are you… oooooh!"

Naruto smiled as he finished the third Shunshin, placing him just opposite the barbeque restaurant. Hinata clutched him tightly as she recovered from the dizziness.

"Warn a girl next time!"

"Sorry." Naruto chuckled as he carried her into the restaurant, looking round to see Kiba waving to him from a large table. Hinata looked round and her eyes widened.

"Put me down!" she hissed and Naruto lowered her feet to the floor, taking advantage of her proximity to kiss her cheek. Hinata shook her head.

"No, Naruto, you do it like _this_!"

All eleven of the assembled genin stared as Hinata grabbed Naruto's head and pulled him into a deep kiss, then Kiba started cheering while Sasuke and Shikamaru started to laugh. Hinata released him and blushed.

"I hope you've learned your lesson." She said mock-sternly. "Now come on, let's not keep our friends waiting."

Naruto grinned as he followed Hinata to the table and held out the chair for her to be seated before sitting down next to her.

"No need to ask if you're still in love." Kiba joked. "I think you proved that you still are."

Hinata's blush intensified at Kiba's comment, but before she could say anything, Ino reached over and swatted him.

"Stop that." She said. "I think it's sweet. Where's Honoka? Ive been wanting to meet her. I need to get gossip about her, I'm in danger of losing my position as the gossip-queen of Konoha!"

A round of laughter met Ino's statement and Naruto looked round at the other rookies.

"Only a week to go." He said. "I hope that you are training hard, especially you, Neji. I don't want an easy win, I want you to make me really work for my victory, like Tenten did."

Tenten smiled at the compliment even as Neji chuckled slightly.

"I shall do my utmost you challenge you, Naruto-san." He replied. "You will have to use both sword _and_ cat against me if you wish to win."

"My training is going well also!" Lee proclaimed. "And whichever of you wins, I shall be there to give you a true challenge!"

"Boys, calm down." Tenten said, making calming motions with her hands. "You can swap boasts and challenges _after_ the meal."

"She's right." Chouji said, looking longingly at where the food was being prepared. "Food comes first."

"Never argue with an Akamichi about food." Shikamaru said. "It's just too troublesome."

"Hello, sorry to keep you waiting." Honoka said from behind them.

"I saved a seat for you." Shino said and Honoka slid into it with a smile.

"Thanks, Shino. What did I miss?"

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"He's really _that_ big?" Ino gasped, staring at the size Sakura had just described with her hands.

"That's the size that Sai said he was, yes." Sakura said. "Hinata, did he get it right?"

Hinata shook her head slightly, then blushed.

"So is he smaller or bigger? Bigger? You _have_ to be kidding! How big is he?" Ino gasped, leaning forwards. Hinata's blush deepened and she sank deeper into the water, only for Honoka to grab her and pull her back to the surface.

"Oh no you don't. I'm not letting you drown yourself out of embarrasment, it would upset Naruto."

Tenten laughed. "You are one lucky girl, getting him for yourself. When I lost to him, I was _so_ turned on by his skill and strength. If you ever decide you don't want him, I'll be happy to take him off your hands."

Hinata's blush deepened and she quickly changed the subject. "Honoka-san, how did your test go?"

"It went very well." Honoka smiled. "I am now a full chunin of Konoha, and on the list for promotion to Special Jonin once I've gained some experience. The Hokage also put me on the _Special Skills_ list for my Fuuinjitsu and Fox-sama of ANBU has already asked me if I can provide some special tags since mine are better than most of what were available in Konoha before I arrived."

"We're selling her tags at my dad's shop." Tenten explained. "I swear, he almost proposed to her after testing the first explosive tag that she provided, and when she showed she could make shock tags, chakra-suppression tags, tracking tags and loads of other things… I haven't seen him so happy in years."

"I'm earning quite a bit from it." Honoka smirked. "I'm saving up and when I have enough, I'm going to buy some land and build my own house. I was thinking of buying up the old Namikaze mansion since the foundation is still intact. I'm also earning money checking and repairing the seals along the walls and in the gates, some of them had almost faded to nothing. The new arrays I included should help."

Sakura nodded. "I heard that the Council are moving to have you declared the clan-head of the resurrected Uzumaki clan as soon as you come of age, giving you a seat on the council."

"Until then, I've asked Zabuza to be my regent, since he's already there and Naruto-kun trusts him." Honoka said. "I heard you've been taking lessons from him, Tenten."

"I have, and so has Sasuke." Tenten confirmed. "He's got really good with that Chokuto of his, and it's made from chakra metal. He can push fire or lightning through it, he was really inspired by Naruto being able to use wind."

"Naruto's really good." Sakura admitted. "Of course, since he was trained as a kid by both Kakashi-sensei and Maito Gai, that's only to be expected. And when Anko added her assassination training… Kakashi had already trained him in stealth and with what Anko taught him… I've seen Naruto scare the hell out of Kakashi by popping up out of nowhere beside him, without Kakashi noticing he was there for a full minute!"

Ino and Tenten both whistled in awe. Hinata simply nodded.

"He's managed to get past my Byakugan in the past." She admitted. "I've asked and asked and begged… but he won't tell me how he did it. Even going catgirl and being cute didn't help."

"Going what-now?" Ino asked and Honoka giggled.

"You need to show them now, Hinata-chan."

Hinata sighed and flashed through several hand-seals, moving fast enough that the others couldn't make out the sequence. A brief cloud of smoke engulfed her and when it cleared, it revealed a lightly-furred Hinata with cat ears looking at everyone.

"KAAAWAAAIIII!"

Honoka almost collapsed with laughter as Ino, Sakura and Tenten simultaneously glomped the poor girl, nearly drowning her in the process.

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"What are they _doing_ on that side?" Kiba asked as the cry of "KAAAWAAAIIII!" echoed over the wall between the two outdoor pools. Neji blinked and restrained himself from using his Byakugan with great difficulty.

"Probably swapping stories about us." Shikamaru said from where he was leaning against the edge of the pool. "Girls can be so troublesome."

"How do you do it?" Kiba asked. "You're going to marry one of the hottest babes in the village, your cousin is just as hot and you have Neji's team-mate lusting after you. I ciould smell her pheromones after your fight, she was really turned on."

"How do you know so much about things like that?" Naruto asked and Kiba shrugged.

"Hey, we Inuzuka live by our instincts. We learn about these things young. Besides, when you have senses as sharp as mine, you can't help noticing these things. I can usually tell what someone's feeling by their scent, and Tenten was reeking of lust after you beat her."

"I understand that Honoka is staying with you at this time." Neji said. "Yet I had thought that all the main bedrooms were taken. Is she in one of the barracks rooms?"

Naruto opened his mouth, then froze for a moment. "I'm not sure I want to answer this. You'll just get angry at me again."

Neji blinked, then lunged at Naruto. Lee and Chouji managed to grab him before he could reach the rapidly-retreating boy. "You're sleeping with my cousin _again_?!"

"It was her decision!" Naruto protested. "I got back from Wave and found she'd moved all my things into her apartment, and I had a guest with me. What was I supposed to do?"

Sasuke smirked. "Calm down, Neji. I think that your cousin just wanted her snuggly. After all, he'd been gone for just over two weeks."

"I don't think that's helping, Sasuke." Naruto said nervously as Neji doubled his attempts to break free. "In fact, I think it's time to leave. Lee, can you run my clothes back to the bunker afterwards, I'll pick them up later but right now I need to hide! _Demon Technique, Reverse Dagger Summoning!_"

Naruto vanished in a flash of red chakra and Neji froze, then his flat gaze moved to Sasuke.

"Hey, don't look at me, I wasn't involved at all with.. with whatever's happening between Naruto and Hinata."

Neji lunched forwards, then stopped dead in his tracks as Sasuke flinched away.

"I'd advise fleeing." Shikamaru said. "I'm not sure how long I can hold him for."

Sasuke glanced down, spotting the shadow connecting to Neji, then pausing only to give Shikamaru a look of gratitude, he scrambled out of the pool and sprinted into the changing room.

"Let. Me. Go."

"Not yet." Shikamaru said. "Lee, Chouji, Kiba, if you three could restrain him please?"

Kiba gulped as Neji glared at him.

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"What do you think all that shouting is about?" Honoka asked as she dried her hair.

"Not a clue." Ino said. "Any ideas?"

"I heard Neji-nii-san shouting… oh dear."

"What?" all the other girls asked and Hinata sighed.

"I think Neji's just found out what sleeping arrangements Naruto and I have. He's… become rather protective of me since I stopped being the Hyuuga Heir."

"Sleeping arrangements?" Sakura asked, but it wasn't Hinata who answered.

"Hinata-chan decided that she was missing her snuggly, and moved all his stuff from his old room into her apartment." Honoka explained as Hinata quickly donned her jacket and made use of the collar in hiding her blush. "That freed up a room for me to use until I get my own place."

The other girls nodded in understanding and Ino grinned.

"Making a move like that, wow Hinata. Do you share a bathroom with him? Do you bathe together?"

Hinata's blush deepened, then she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"We do share a bathroom, and we have showered together." She said quietly. "And every time I see him, I realise just how lucky I am to have him. I don't think anyone else in the country is as kind and thoughtful as he is, and his cooking is superb."

"That last part I agree with completely." Honoka noted. "The only thing I can't vouch for are the cinnamon rolls, because they're always gone before I get there."

Hinata blushed again.


	27. Chapter 27

_Author's note – I don't own Naruto. We now return you to the scheduled story._

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**Chapter Twenty-Seven – The Finals Part One**

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Naruto stood with eight of the other nine finalists in the middle of the crowded stadium. Behind the high walls, it seemed like half the village had come to witness the battles.

"Naruto-san." Neji said softly from beside him, his voice filled with wry amusement. "Will you be giving me a choice of whether you fight with sword or cat?"

"Kami, no." Naruto smirked. "You've seen me fighting with my sword and as a Tiger, so I'm going to be doing something _completely_ new against you. Especially since you promised to destroy me for going along with Hinata's choice. Ummm, Hinata-hime, If I have to use certain skills, it may make your fight harder since I'm sure Temari suspects you have similar skills to me. Sorry in advance."

On Naruto's other side, Hinata shrugged. "We may have some skills in common, Naruto-kun, but we use them in different ways. I should be fine."

Naruto looked over at the clan seating where Honoka's red hair was highly visible beside the dark hair of the massed Hyuugas.

"I don't know whether to be pleased or worried that Hanabi's taken such a shine to Honoka." Naruto admitted, seeing Hanabi and Honoka were sharing a bag of something. "Still, she's settling in as a chunin very well."

"Shino's been helping her settle in." Hinata smiled. "He's really smitten with her."

Naruto looked round again. "Where the heck is Sasuke?"

"He's behind the buttress over there along with Kakashi." Hinata said, tilting her head slightly. Neji activated his Byakgan briefly and grunted in agreement. "They're probably planning on making a last-second entrance."

Hinata sighed, then looked across to where Temari was standing, giving her a measuring look.

"Did Jiraiya ever catch up to you? I heard that he was going to offer you some training."

"While I was hiding from Neji, yes. He wanted me to sign the Toad Contract." Naruto replied. "I kind of put him off for a while and talked with Krugeri about it. He doesn't have a problem, the Greatcats have quite a bit of respect for the Toads, but… I got the feeling that Jiraiya sees me as… Minato's legacy rather than as _me_, if that makes any sense. "

"I felt the same while I was heir." Hinata agreed. "Since I passed that position to Hanabi, I've felt more like myself. I know just what you are saying. Did you manage to get the third form?"

"Succeeded yesterday." Naruto replied, careful not to say just what it was the third form _of_. "Takes a ton of chakra, though."

"Hang on." Neji said. "Greatcats? What in Kami's name did you _find_ in Wave, and should I simply forfeit now? Hinata-sama?"

"You'll find out, if you fight hard enough for Naruto-kun to resort to it." Hinata smirked, reaching back with her free hand to stroke Kyouka's ears. "Just be grateful he hasn't signed the Toad contract yet."

Neji swallowed nervously.

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"This is certainly an interesting day." The veiled Kazekage said as he bowed slightly to Sarutobi and sat down, looking out into the field. "I see two of my children are ready to show how good they are… but aren't we missing one of the genin?"

"Yes." Sarutobi sighed. "Uchiha Sasuke has yet to show, I hope he's not taking after his sensei. Kakashi's infamous for always being late for everything except a high-ranked mission."

"I have my own share of Jonin with personality issues." The Kazekage replied, settling back in his chair. "My daughter mentioned one of your genin, a… Naruto? May I ask about him?"

"That would be Kagetora Naruto." Sarutobi said. "That's him, the blond second from the right."

"And the cats?"

"The one on the left is his bond-partner, Kaze. The cat next to him is Hyuuga Hinata's bond-partner, Kyouka. ChuninKagetora Haku also has a bond-partner, you can see them over there, along with his uncle, Momochi Zabuza no Kagetora."

"I see them." The Kazekage said, his voice showing that he was impressed. "How many of these… great tigers… does Konoha have?"

"Close to two hundred, but very few of them are actually bonded." Hiruzen said with a slight smile. "The Kagetora clan is growing in size and power and has allied itself not only with the Hyuuga clan, but also the resurrected Uzumaki clan."

The Kazekage froze. "The… _resurrected_ Uzumaki?"

"You can see the clan head of the Uzumaki, Uzumaki Honoka, sat by the Hyuuga clan over their. Her red hair is very visible. We hope to find others and bring them in to boost the numbers of the Uzumaki, bring them to full prominence as they were in Uzushiogakure. Already, Honoka has made quite a name for herself with her creation of new sealing tags of various descriptions. Now, I believe it is time to begin, yes?"

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Shiranui Gemna stepped forwards and looked at the line of genin in front of you. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"I am the proctor for this exam, since Hayate Gekko is currently isin hospital, in a coma after being attacked by an unknown assailant while protecting Suna Jonin Baki. Fortunately for us all, a team of ANBU on patrol scared away the attacker and Baki insisted on escorting them to hospital. However, despite their best efforts, Hayate remains in a coma. Therefore, I am your new proctor.

"I expect you know the rules, but if any of you are stupid enough to have forgotten them, here they are. When commanded, you will fight your designated adversary. When commanded to stop, you will do so. Should you fail to stop on command, I am allowed to use any technique I choose to stop you, killing you if I deem it necessary, although I don't like filling out the paperwork afterwards.

"The first match if Kagetora Naruto against Hyuuga Neji. If all others can go to the contestants balcony now, it would be helpful."

As the other genin turned towards the stairs, Hinata gave Naruto a quick kiss on the cheek, ignoring Neji's glare. "Don't hold back, Naruto-kun. Neji's been practising countering the skills you showed in the preliminaries."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me."

Naruto grinned as Hinata vaulted onto Kyouka's back and they moved towards the stairs, then he turned back to face Genma.

"Ready."

Genma nodded and looked at Neji.

"I am prepared to fight. And for the honour of the Hyuugas, I will win this match."

"Is it fated?" Naruto quipped and Neji glared at him.

"If it is, I shall accept it. If not, I shall fight it. I have learned _that_ from you. Now, you will face a true master of Jyuuken."

"Match one!" Genma proclaimed, stepping back several paces as Naruto and Neji dropped into their respective fighting stances, Neji activating his Byakugan as he did so. "Hyuuga Neji of Konoha versus Kagetora Naruto and Kaze of Konoha, Fight!"

Naruto instantly performed a blurring sequence of hand-seals. A brief burst of smoke surrounded him and when it dispersed, the figure standing there was not what anyone expected.

"N… Naruto?" Neji asked, almost unable to believe it and the bipedal tiger-man in front of him nodded even as he drew the Kitsune's Claw from its position on his back.

"You have your clan techniques, I have mine." Naruto rumbled as Kaze lay down to watch. "Witness the power of the _Secret Technique Tiger Warrior_."

As he finished speaking, Naruto crouched briefly, then accelerated past Neji, skidding to a stop half-way across the stadum. Neji remained motionless for a moment, then clutched at where Naruto had managed to slice through his jacket and inflicted a shallow cut on the side of his torso.

"So fast…" He gasped, turning to try and keep track of Naruto, who grinned at him, then blurred towards him time, Neji managed to deflect the blade with a chakra-charged palm-strike, but Naruto simply spun round and accelerated to an even higher speed.

"_Kaiten!_"

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Hanabi gasped and Honoka looked at her.

"That technique… How did Neji learn it?" Hanabi half-whispered. "The _Kaiten_ is only taught to the Main House, not the Branch House."

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Naruto bounced off the chakra dome and skidded across the arena, rolling to his feet as he jammed his sword into the ground to stop his slide.

"Nice one, Neji. That is a truly impressive defence. I guess I'll have to take it up a notch."

Naruto held out his dagger. "_Demon Technique Youkai Senbon._"

The dagger glowed in his hand and shifted form, becoming a large bundle of senbon. Without wasting a second, Naruto began throwing them at Neji, who dodged them, ignoring them as they landed on the ground around him. The last one, he tried to catch, only to drop it and stare at his bleeding fingers.

"You like it? Youkai Senbon, they'll cut anyone they hit, only I can touch them safely."

"An impressive weapon, but you've used them all now." Neji said and Naruto shook his head. Holding up one hand, he frowned slightly and one of the senbon near Neji vanished, reappearing in Naruto's hand.

"You were saying?"

Neji dodged the thrown senbon and sprinted towards Naruto who summoned another senbon.

"You are within range of my divination! _Eight trigrams one-hundred and twenty-eight palms_!"

Before the first strike could connect, Naruto vanished in a burst of red chakra, appearing where Neji had been standing a moment earlier as the senbon he had been holding dropped to the floor. Neji stopped his attack and spun round, eyes wide, just in time to see Naruto vanishing again,this time appearing immediately behind Neji. Before Neji could respond, Naruto grabbed him and spun, hurling the teenager across the arena towards Kaze who rose from his rest and pounced as Neji skidded to a halt, landing on the unfortunate Hyuuga and placing his teeth on his neck.

"I would advise you to yield." Naruto said calmly.

"Proctor, I cannot escape and thus yield." Neji stated. Kaze released him and backed away as Neji slowly pulled himself to a sitting position.

"Kagetora Naruto wins!" Genma proclaimed. "Now pick up those damned senbon of yours."

Naruto grinned as he released his transformation. Holding up his hand, he concentrated and all the senbon vanished, reforming in his hand as his dagger which he placed on his left thigh before offering his hand to Neji.

"You fought well." Naruto said. "Speed, improvisation, adaptation, but your weakness was not your technique."

"Critique me later." Neji groaned, leaning against Naruto for support. "For now, just get me somewhere that I can rest. And what the hell are the Greatcats? I _know_ you didn't use them against me."

"I'll tell you later, assuming that Hinata doesn't call on them." Naruto said as he half-carried Neji to the exit. "I had her sign the scroll too. And Haku, as well, although I'm the only one who can summon Krugeri."

"Who?"

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"Quite a spectacle your Kagetora Naruto makes." The Kazekage noted and Hiruzen nodded.

"He does indeed, although _that_ was a new one on me. A partial transformation without needing physical contact with Kaze… I wonder what else he learned on that training trip of his."

"And that other technique… it looked like the Hiraishin."

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, it did, but it's different. I've asked him about it, and it's a skill that no-one else could learn. A mini-Kekkei Genkai, you might say."

"Interesting…"

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Match Two!" Genma said. "Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru of Konoha versus Rock Lee of Konoha. Fight!"

Even as Genma finished his command, Kiba flung a soldier pill into Akamaru's mouth.

"_All Fours Jutsu! Man-beast Clone Jutsu!_"

The burst of smoke cleared to reveal two Kibas, both of whom instantly charged towards Lee, who had taken a Goken stance.

"_Fang Over Fang!_"

Both Kibas hurtled towards Lee, spinning like cutting drills as they did so and Lee, instead of trying to dodge, leapt into the air, delivering a pair of spinning kicks.

CLANG! CLANG!

Lee landed in a slight crouch as both Kibas crashed into the ground.

"What… was that? Are you made of iron or something?"

Lee pulled up one of his legwarmers to reveal a set of weight underneath. "I wear these most youthful weights to aid me in becoming faster and stronger. They also prove most useful in deflecting incoming attacks that might otherwise hurt me."

The two Kibas looked at each other, then both charged at Lee, aiming to perform a slashing attack. As they closed in, Lee grabbed their hands and threw himself into a forwards somersault, landing lightly and slamming both Kibas full-length into the ground.

One of them vanished in a puff of smoke which dissipated to reveal the unconscious form of Akamaru.

"Dammit." Kiba gasped. "you're too good, I can't win. Proctor, I forfeit. I don't want Akamaru to get hurt."

"Yosh, my eternal friend and rival!" Lee exhulted, turning to face the contestants balcony. "I shall soon be facing you in a test to see whose flames of youth are more powerful!"

Naruto waved back as Genma called the match.

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"Eternal friend and rival?" the Kazekage asked and Sarutobi smiled.

"Lee and Naruto both trained extensively under the tijitsu master Jonin Maito Gai. They've come to see each other almost as brothers, and they constantly compete against each other in order to become better. They've both been looking forwards to the chance to go full-out against each other in order to see who's currently better and how they can improve."

"I see. How… commendable. You must be proud of them."

"I am."

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"Match three… Where is Uchiha Sasuke?"

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"Damn grandstander." Naruto muttered, glancing over to the Kage box where Sarutobi and the Kazekage were talkig. A moment later, Sarutobi rose and stepped forwards.

"The third match will be postponed. Move on."

"Very well. Match four, Skikamaru Nara of Konoha versus Tsuchi Kin of Oto. Could the two competitors please come down."

Shikamaru sighed and walked to the stairs while Kin, smirking, strode down ahead of him. The two of them came to a halt before Genma.

"Okay, put up a good show. Fight!"

Kin reacted almost instantly, throwing a group of two-dozen bell-tagged senbon around Shikamaru, only for him to vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving a log behind.

"Dammit! Kawarimi!" Kin cursed, looking round as she pulled out more senbon from her pouch, holding them ready to throw. An instant later, she froze and the log faded away, revealing that Shikamaru had not use a Kawarimi, but a Henge and had caught her in his shadow.

"_Kagemane no Jutsu_, complete."

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Kin snarled. "How did you _do_ that? How did you _know_ to do that?"

"I researched your abilities that you showed in the preliminaries." Shikamaru said, flexing his fingers and pulling a kunai out of his pouch. Caught by the shadow, Kin mimicked his motions, her senbon bouncing off the ground as she also pulled out a kunai.

"So what, we stab each other for a mutual death?" Kin smirked and Shikamaru sighed.

"No, I do this." Shikamaru said, reversing his kunai and moving it near his neck. Kin mirrored the movement, staring in confusion, until she felt her kunai snag on the end of her scarf and start to pull it tight around her neck.

"Wait, don't…" she choked out before Shikamaru moved his kunai further, watching with cold eyes as she started fighting for air. As her eyes started to roll up, he released her and she fell to her hands and knees, taking huge gasps of air as she fought to recover, then Shikamaru grabbed her hair and pulled her back, setting his kunai against her throat.

"Quit or die." Shikamaru said and Kin gulped.

"I forfeit." She whispered and Shikamaru nodded.

"If I hadn't known about your trick from Ino, you would probably have won." He said as he walked off. "It was your bad luck that you didn't plan ahead. You could have been a most troublesome opponant if you had."

"Winner, Shikamaru."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight – The Finals Part Two**

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"Match Five, Hyuuga Hinata of Konoha versus Temari no Sabaku of Suna. Begin!"

Hinata backflipped out of the way of Temari's opening attack, landing on Kyouka's back and performing a fast series of hand-seals.

"_Combination Kagetora Clan Technique:_ _Great Tiger Henge no Jutsu!"_

"Crap!" Temari cursed as Hinata vanished in a cloud of smoke. "You can do the tiger thing too? How? You're a Hyuuga!"

Hinata flowed down off Kyouka's back, then the two of them loped away from each other, taking positions with Temari in the middle, easily dodging the wind-blades that Temari unleashed in an attempt to keep them away from her. After a few seconds, Hinata started to charge forwards and Temari spun to face her, raising her fan.

"Wind relea… woah!"

Unnoticed, Kyouka had unleashed her earth-jutsu, causing the ground to ripple and making Temari stumble. As Temari fought to recover, Hinata pounced, knocking her down and landing on top of her, jaws fixed around her neck.

"Dammit." Temari sighed. "You win. Now get off me please?"

"Winner, Hinata!" Genma declared as Hinata reverted and stepped off Temari, allowing the blond to scramble to her feet.

"Dammit, the fat boy lasted longer than I did." Temari grumbled. Hinata smiled.

"You were at a disadvantage. I had seen your techniques, you hadn't seen mine. It is hard to fight what you do not expect."

"I can't believe I got defeated so fast." Temari groused. "Even dog-boy lasted longer than I did. That's just embarrasing. I'm supposed to be a strong Kunoichi, not a… a cat toy."

Hinata giggled.

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Gaara stood alone in the middle of the arena, glaring at Genma who in turn was looking up at the Kage box.

"There is no sign of Uchiha Sasuke, my lord Hokage." He said, only to be interrupted by a small cyclone of leaves. As it dropped, it revealed Kakashi and Sasuke standing back-to-back, arms folded. In addition to his usual outfit, Sasuke had bandages and straps around both legs and his left arm.

"Sorry we're late." Kakashi eye-smiled as Genma glared at him.

"The match got delayed because you were late." Genma growled and Kakashi shrugged.

"Well, we're here now, so everything's fine. Don't you agree, Sasuke?"

"Hnph."

"See? He's eager to begin."

Genma glared at Kakashi, who vanished in another swirl of leaves, leaving Sasuke and Gaara to glare at each other. Genma took a few paces back.

"All right, the rules for this match are the same as in the preliminaries. The match continues until one of you dies or admits defeat. However, I can stop the match, but that's solely my decision"

Gaara chuckled and Sasuke frowned back at him.

"Match three, delayed, Gaara noSabaku of Suna versus Uchiha Sasuke of Konoha, Begin!"

As soon as he said it, Sasuke leapt back and threw a pair of shuriken at Gaara, who didn't even twitch as billows of sand flowed out of his gourd and caught the projectiles before shifting shape, becoming a copy of Gaara which threw the shuriken back at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked as he easily dodged the projectiles.

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"The sand shield became a sand clone!" Temari gasped from the balcony as Hinata watched, Byakugan active.

"There's chakra in the sand, and it's… Biju chakra." Hinata murmured. "Naruto-kun was right, Gaara _is_ a Jinchuuriki just like him!"

Temari jolted as if someone had stabbed her with a Kunai. "What?! You mean that comment a month ago about sealing… he knew back then? How?"

"Naruto's the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Hinata said, gazing at the scene below them. "Your brother holds the Ichibi, the one-tailed Tanuki. Naruto-kun recognised the feel of the leaking Youkai and the scent. He warned Shino, that's why he forfeited, and Sasuke. I don't know how Sasuke prepared, but we'll soon see."

"Who… else knows? About Gaara?" Temari asked, her eyes wide and hands gripping the railing tightly.

"Most of the Konoha shinobi, by now." Hinata said almost absently.

'_Shit, this is bad, very bad!_' Temari thought, '_And I'm stuck here with no way to warn Baki-sensei that Konoha are fully prepared for this part of the plan, even though they don't realise it!_ _Wait a minute_…'

"How are you so calm about my brother being a Jinchuuriki?" Temari asked, trying to hide her rising panic.

"Simple, I'm engaged to Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled. "I know that Naruto would never hurt me, or anyone that he cares about."

Temari stared at her, shock warring with panic for supremacy.

'_She's happy about marrying a Jinchuuriki?_'

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Sasuke struck at the neck of the sand-clone, only for the sand to wrap itself around his wrist. Delivering a powerful cross-strike, he shattered the sand-manacle and leapt away to buy a few seconds to think of a new plan of attack. Dashing forwards, he launched a punch, only to vanish in a blur of speed as the sand rose in a barrier before him.

'_What? Where did he go?_' Gaara thought, just as Sasuke reappeared behind him, already striking. The sand barely blocked in time as Sasuke vanished in a blur of speed once more. Again and again, the sand shifted, just barely in time to block the incoming strikes.

'_My sand, it's barely matching his speed!_' Gaara thought, spinning just in time to see Sasuke's punch being stopped by his sand. Before the sand could even start to reform, Sasuke had vanished again.

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"How is he doing that?" Ino gasped as she and Sakura sat watching the match along with Tenten.

"Simple." Gai said from behind them, causing Ino and Sakura to jump and squeak in shock. "Sasuke asked for permission to copy Lee's speed, and has trained with it for the last month. Although he is not up to Lee's standard since he gains his speed through channeling chakra rather than pure hard work, meaning that he cannot maintain the speed for very long, it should be enough for this fight, combined with the other moves my eternal rival has taught him."

"But what did Lee get out of it?" Tenten asked and Gai grinned.

"Lee-kun got to choose four Jutsu from the Uchiha library for himself, he chose low-level Jutsu that fit with his combat style and enhances it considerably without causing a significant drain on his chakra reserves. And Sasuke ensured that he does not know which Jutsu Lee-kun picked, so he cannot develop any counters ahead of time. Truly a most youthful course of action, and one which has gained my respect!"

"So… to gain an advantage against Gaara, he willingly gave Lee an advantage against him, right?" Sakura asked.

"That is absolutely right, cute student of my eternal rival! As he explained to Lee and I when he made the trade, he knows that Lee does not truly wish to kill him, so he is likely to survive that fight, while Gaara is so bloodthirsty that he needs every advantage he can get."

"I… see." Sakura mused.

"Go Sasuke!" Ino cheered.

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(((()

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Gaara spun round as the sand to his right was almost dissipated by a powerful kick, then a fist punched through the shield behind him and knocked him forwards. Pulling more sand from his gourd, he turned round, then something made him look up, just in time for a powerful kick to slam down on his head. Staggering backwards, Gaara felt the layer of sand on his skin, the layer which kept him safe from harm, crack and begin to flake away.

'_So fast… how is he this fast? How can he be this strong?_' Gaara thought as Sasuke wove through his defensive sand and grabbed him, then Sasuke drove his knee into Gaara's stomach and followed up almost instantly with a powerful kick that sent him flying backwards. As he landed, his sand cushioned the impact and he looked up, eyes wide in shock to see Sasuke taking an upright fighting stance.

"Is that all you've got?" Sasuke taunted and Gaara growled. Pulling his hands up into a seal, he remained still as his gourd emptied itself, slowly forming a sphere around him, a sphere firmly attached to the ground.

"What?"

A wisp of sand formed an orb above the sphere, an orb which turned into a floating eye. Sasuke looked at the sphere rooted to the ground, then dashed forwards to deliver a powerful punch, only to dodge as the sphere suddenly extruded a barrier of long spikes. Retreating, he watched as the spikes withdrew back into the featureless sphere. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke launched another strike, only for the sphere to defend with more spikes.

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"Dammit!" Kankuro muttered as he sat watching next to his Jonin-sensei Baki. "What the hell does Gaara think he's doing, resorting to _that_? He knew the plan!"

"Gaara was never one for plans when there was killing to be done." Baki said slowly. "This could be… a real problem."

Kankuro nodded teeth clenching as he watched his brother.

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Sasuke moved away from the sphere and leapt onto the wall surrounding the arena. Mantaining his position with the tree-walking technique, he undid the strap on his left arm, letting it fall to the floor. Placing his right hand on the back of his left, he concentrated just as he had trained to do and chakra started to flow into and around his hand.

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"That technique…" Gai gasped.

"Yes." Kakashi said from behind him. "My signature move, Chidori, or _thousand birds_. As well as training him to duplicate Lee's speed, I also trained him to use the _lightning blade_, but even with all the training I gave him, he can only use it three times a day before his chakra reserves get too low. And with how much he had to use to perform the speed boost, I'd say that after this, he only has one more shot."

"Kakashi-sensei… what is that move?" Sakura asked.

"It's a lightning-charged attack that is delivered at high speed." Kakashi explained. "The trouble is, the speed required causes the user to experience tunnel vision, so a Sharingan is needed to counter that."

"A Byakugan may work as well, my eternal rival." Gai said and Kakashi thought about it, then nodded.

"Maybe, but probably not as well. The Byakugan lacks the Sharingan's mental-speed-boost."

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"Wow, nice technique." Naruto whispered. "I wonder how it would match up against my Rasengan."

"Looks like an elemental technique." Shikamaru nodded. "Probably a short-ranged one that does massive damage when it hits. And from how far away from Gaara he is, I'd say it needs considerable speed to be effective. But if it does hit, it would be troublesome."

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Sasuke hurtled towards the sphere, the sparking electricity surrounding his left hand cutting a line in the ground as he accelerated, then he thrust his hand forwards even as the sphere started to bulge with growing spikes again. The lightning-enhanced strike met one of the spikes straight-on and blasted through it, penetrating the shell and hitting something inside.

For a long moment, no-one moved, then something shifted inside the sphere and Sasuke tried to pull back.

"BLOOD!" Gaara's voice screamed, magnified somehow by the sphere and echoing across the arena. "IT'S MY BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING!"

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Temari paled. "Gaara's never been hurt before! This is bad! Very bad!"

"_Never_ been hurt before?" Hinata asked, then she looked down at the arena. "I suppose that with the sand acting as armour as well as its obvious shielding properties, that comes as no surprise."

Temari glanced across at Hinata, then back at her screaming brother in his sand sphere.

"This is very, very bad!"

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The sand held Sasuke's arm, squeezing it painfully, until Sasuke channeled his chakra to create lightning again. The sand's grasp loosened slightly and Sasuke pulled hard, feeling whatever was holding his wrist loosen it's grip. Pulling free, he leapt back… eyes widening in shock as a blue-veined sand arm lunged through the hole he had made, trying to grab him before slowly retracting back into the sphere. A moment later, the sphere disintegrated, revealing Gaara standing, half-crouched as he grabbed his left shoulder, trying to stem the flow of blood from the wound.

Sasuke gulped in great breaths of aid as he massaged his left wrist, trying to restore feeling to his hand. He looked at Gaara, thinkin fast.

'_From how he reacted, he's not used to pain, that sand skin of his probably protected him until now. I can only use one more Chidori before my chakra becomes too low, so I'll have to… what the?_'

Sasuke's thoughts were holted as the Kage box erupted in a cloud of smoke.

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'_That's the signal!_' Temari thought, reaching up to grab her fan.

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'_That's the signal!_'Baki and Kankuro thought, tensing ready to do their parts.

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The plume of smoke was visible to the ninja waiting outside Konoha, ninja wearing the Hitai-ate's of Suna and Sound.

"That's the signal!" the leader of the ninja shouted. "Finish the summonings and attack!"

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"That's the signal." Kabuto thought, smirking behind his stolen Anbu mask. "Time to release the genjitsu and secure Sasuke for Orochimaru."


	29. Chapter 29

_If you think I own Naruto, I can sell you the Golden Gate bridge…_

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**Chapter Twenty-Nine – The Invasion Begins**

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Hinata blinked a few times as she started to feel tired, then she realised what was happening.

"Kai! Everyone, do a dispell, now!"

Despite the surprise and unexpectedness of the demand, all the other Konoha nin followed suit as Kin and Temari drew their weapons and turned to engage.

"This is troublesome." Shikamaru said as he caught the two Kunoichi in his shadow. "I guess that this is an invasion. Hinata?"

Hinata nodded and moved in front of the two kunoichi, then Neji stood beside her.

"Stand them up, please. Neji, sixty-four."

Kin slumped in the shadow's grip as Temari tried her hardest to break free. Neji nodded as he mirrored his cousin's stance.

"You are within range of my divination," They both declared in unison. "_Eight Trigrams Sixty-four palms!_"

Kin had closed her eyes, so she didn't see the strikes that Hinata used to send her into blissful unconsciousness. Temari, on the other hand, was still struggling when Neji's hands blurred and managed to jerk backwards as Shikamaru released his shadow. Between her resistance and the initial strikes, she fell backwards over the railing.

"Look! Above the Kage box!" Naruto shouted and everyone looked up to see a cube of purple chakra forming.

"Oh, this isn't good." Shikamaru stated. Hinata looked across at the oddly-silent arena and her face hardened.

"Naruto-kun, remember what Kurenai-sensei taught you? We need a chakra pulse to cover the arena, and do it now!"

Naruto nodded and started to focus as Hinata's gaze dropped to Gaara and the two figures that had joined him. A moment later, Temari also joined the Suna group, then Kankuro and Temari grabbed Gaara and leapt out of the arena.

"Naruto, pulse!"

"KAI!"

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"Kukukukuku, at last, old man, you're mine." The Kazakage gloated. Sarutobi glared at him.

"Orochimaru." He stated.

"Oh, indeed." Orochimaru replied with a smirk, shedding the Kage robes and hat. "I promised I'd return and pay Konoha back for what they did to me, and here I am."

"You cannot win." Hiruzen stated, shedding his own outer robes to reveal his shinobi outfit.

"No-one is going to help you." Orochimaru gloated. "You can see that my guards have erected a barrier that no-one can get through, it's just you and me, old man."

Sarutobi glared at his student and shifted into a defensive stance.

"I am still a match for you, Orochimaru."

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Naruto watched as Sasuke got up, released from the genjitsu by the pulse, then dashed off after Gaara.

"Shit!" Kiba snarled as below them, Baki engaged Kakashi in battle. "We need to get after them, who knows what they're planning!"

"I'm staying for a moment to help Sarutobi." Naruto stated. "Hinata, Kiba, track Gaara, take whoever you wish. When you find him, use the dagger to summon me, just as I showed you. _Come!_"

Summoning his sword into his hand, Naruto launched himself off the balcony and towards the purple cube. Hinata grabbed Shikamaru and pulled him onto Kyouka.

"Kiba, Akamaru, you have Sasuke's scent?"

"We know what he smells like." Kiba confirmed.

"I am coming too!" Lee shouted. "My speed and strength will be needed whe we face Gaara!"

"I'll help Naruto." Neji said, moving to the edge of the balcony. "My Byakugan may be of some help against that barrier."

"Oh shit." Kiba said almost converstionally and everyone still on the balcony followed his gaze to where two giant snakes were advancing towards the walls. For a moment, they remained motionless, then Hinata clapped her hands, startling them. "Let's move! Lee, sprint to Tiger Forest and tell the tigers we need help, then catch up with us!"

"I'm gone!" Lee shouted, the second word fading as he vanished, leaving his leg-weights behind.

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Kabuto killed the Anbu heading towards barrier surrounding Orochimaru and Sarutoi, then his gaze dropped to the arena and he frowned.

"Okay, Sasuke, where did you go?"

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Honoka stared at the snakes approaching the wall, then leapt out of her seat and sprinted up a pillar to the roof where she encountered a familiar figure.

"Jiraiya! I need you!"

Jiraiya glanced at her. "You've been reinforcing the walls, can they hold?"

"Get me in front of _that_ snake, it's heading for a natural strongpoint." Honoka commanded and Jiraiya nodded.

"Jump on."

Honoka leapt onto his back as the white-haired sannin crouched, then launched himself forwards at a speed that Honoka couldn't have matched without aid.

"It's gonna be close." He noted and Honoka nodded.

"Just buy me… thirty-seven seconds to reinforce the wall, then another seventy-three to create a seal to banish that thing."

"Not a problem." Jiraiya grinned as he hurtled across the roofs and trees to the rapidly-approaching wall. "Anything for a beauty such as yourself."

Honoka glared at him. "This is no time for flirting!"

"There's _always_ time for flirting!"

A pale blur rocketed past them and Honoka grinned. "Once you drop me off, can you deal with the other snake? My backup will be waiting for me."

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Orochimaru cursed as Sarutobi managed to block his sword. Somehow he had forgotten that his teacher's summons could transform into a staff, one that was effectively indestructible.

At least he had a backup plan that he was more than happy to use.

Leaping back, Orochimaru made several blurring hand-signs and the roof buckled as a coffin rose up from where he had stored it before. A second one rose, then a third one and Sarutobi paled as he saw the writing on the coffins.

"Orochimaru, you didn't… How could you!"

"_Edo Tensei: Imperfect World Resurrection._" Orochimaru gloated as the three coffins opened to reveal the decaying forms of the First, Second and Fourth Hokages. "You can cope with one Kage-level opponant, Hriuzen, but can you cope with four?"

The coffins seemed to glow and the three decaying bodies seemed to rebuild themselves, returning to how they had been in their prime before they opened their eyes and stepped out of the coffins.

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"Not good!" Neji snapped to Naruto and the ANBU operatives. "Orochimaru's just summoned three to help him, and I can't see any weak spots in this thing."

"Ha." The six-armed man gloated. "As long as we remain as anchors, the barrier can't be broken."

Naruto grinned and made a familiar hand-signe. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

"What are you planning, Naruto?" Neji asked as three of the new Narutos smashed a hole into the roof, allowing almost a dozen to pour through it. Naruto threw a superior smirk at him, then plunged his sword into the roof, as did one of his remaining clones. As the noise of destruction echoed up through the hole, Naruto and his clone started running around the barrier, their swords almost effortlessly slicing through the tiles and support beams.

"Very clever." Neji admitted. "Very, very clever. I hope it's in time."

"What is he doing?" one of the ANBU asked.

"If it works, it'll take down the barrier." Neji replied with a smirk, watching Naruto's progress. "And it's something that only Naruto would think of."

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"How dare you do this, Orochimaru!" Sarutobi snarled, his face contorting with fury and Orochimaru laughed.

"I do it because I can, old man." Orochimaru smirked.

"But to summon Senju Hirashima, Senju Tobirama and Namikaze Minato…"

The three former Hokages looked at each other.

"Brother, it has been a while."

"Indeed it has, brother. Sarutobi, you've become old."

"Hey old man, how's my son doing?"

Sarutobi looked away guiltily and Minato frowned.

"What happened?"

"The council removed Naruto's heritage from him, banning him from claiming to be either a Namikaze or an Uzumaki." Sarutobi said and all three Hokages stared at him.

"The council did what?" Tobirama asked. "Why would ninja do such a thing?"

"It was mainly the civilian council." Sarutobi said and Tobirama frowned.

"When I set up the Civilian Council, it was to oversee the non-shinobi aspects of Konohagakure. How did they gain power over the ninja, how did they gain power over _you_?"

"You see, proof that the old man's lost it." Orochimaru smirked, moving behind the first two Hokages and raising a pair of Kunai with seals wrapped around them. "Now I think it's time to… what the?"

The entire roof suddenly dropped and the four Sound Shinobi fell, the sudden and unexpected movement destroying their concentration and disrupting the barrier, making it collapse. An instant later, the ANBU charged in and attacked Orochimaru while Neji moved to stand by Sarutobi. A moment after that, two of the three resurrected Hokages turned to dust and dissipated as Orochimaru released his technique as he defended himself from the new threat.

"Why haven't you faded, Minato?" Sarutobi asked as a dozen sword-swinging blonds thundered past, ignoring the small group as they charged Orochimaru. A flash of red showed that the original had departed.

"I don't know, but I _can_ feel myself fading fast." Minato said slowly. "Tell me, what happened to Naruto? What happened to my son?"

"What happened was I was tired, and my advisors used that against me." Sarutobi said sadly. "They removed his legacy, his inheritance and stripped him of his name with the support of the Daimyo, but he didn't let that stop him. He has a new name, a new clan and new friends, and he has brought a full-blood Uzumaki to the village to revive your wife's clan in parallel with the one he is building, the Kagetora clan."

"Kushina used to mention the Gokatora." Minato mused and Sarutobi nodded.

"I have recognised the Kagetora as the Gokatora recreated, since the tigers the Gokatora used are now allied to Naruto and their techniques are his to use."

Minato nodded even as his skin started to turn grey.

"Naruto is engaged to my cousin, Hinata. It started as friendship and soon became love" Neji offered and Minato smiled at him.

"It is good that the contract was adhered to, even despite what has happened." Minato said. "Sarutobi, if you can, give him the Hiraishin as my apology. The scroll for it…"

"Was destroyed." Sarutobi sighed. "Your mansion and everything in it is gone, student of my student. I am sorry."

Minato sighed and lowered his head, his voice fading. "Then tell him I am sorry. And that I lo…"

Neji and Sarutobi watched as Minato faded away, his body vanishing in the breeze.

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Orochimaru cursed as he blocked yet another attack from that never-be-damned-enough blond, then ducked under an attack from one of the ANBU. The attack had misfired, but if his forces vould still get in, then he had a chance of winning.

Fighting free, he looked across just in time to see the first Summons smash into the wall surrounding Konoha, thin his right arm seemed to erupt in agony as the blond thrust a red-glowing dagger into his palm.

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The impact of the giant snake caused Honoka to her knees as the bled-off kinetic energy lashed through the reinforcement seals. Most of it was transformed and used to reinforce the wall itself, but enough escaped that Honoka felt as if she'd been caught in a mid-level raiton trap.

Thanking Kami that she'd had (barely) enough time to reinforce the wall before the summons had hit, Honoka split her focus between fixing the weak parts of the seal and starting to form an area-effect seal that would banish any and all summons, regardless of their energy levels.

Up on the wall, Haku stood, respendent in his new robes which had been designed to cover him both in his normal form and the Tiger Warrior form he now held. His chakra merged with Hyou's, he summoned ice lances and arrows from the moisture in the air, sending them to strike at the weak and vulnerable points of the summons looming before him. On either side, Shinobi fought, the Konoha-nin trying to hold the wall, the Suna and Oto-nin trying to take it. Haku ignored them, his task was in front of him, and he needed all his concentration if he was not going to let his cousin down.

He knew that he probably couldn't cause the summons to dispel, but his task was simple. To buy as much time as he could, regardless of cost.

Haku knew his duty, and he would perform it. He always performed his duty to the best of his ability, it was his _nindo_.

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"_Kuchyose no Jutsu: Food Cart Destroyer!_"

Jiraiya slammed his blooded hand against the ground and a seal formed around it, then a giant toad with twin swords materialised in the air above the incoming snake. Dropping down, it landed on the enemy sunnons, causing it to dispel as well as knocking down all the surrounding ninja with the force of its impact.

"Thanks Gamahiro!" Jiraiya shouted, then a massive impact sounded.

"Oh shit." Jiraiya whispered, seeing yet a third snake strike at the walls, this one actually managing to break through. As the snake slithered through, Jiraiya saw a large group of shinobi following it.

"Oh, that isn't good!" he whispered, glancing back to ensure that the first snake hadn't made it through. A moment later, a strange glow suddenly spread through the village and both snakes vanished, as did Gamahiro.

"An anti-summons seal." Jiraiya smirked. "Well, that helps. Nice one, girly. Nice one. Well, time to help out again."

Jiraya channeled chakra to his legs and leapt towards the distant battle.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty – The Counterattack**

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Orochimaru stared in shock as the only snake that had penetrated the wall vanished. He tried to summon another snake, but even his Shadow-snakes were blocked by whatever had made the strange glow.

"What do we do, boss?"

Orochimaru snarled as he let Tayuya bandage the stump of his lost right hand. The fact that it had been effectively destroyed with a blade glowing with Youkai meant that the arm itself was already starting to rot and without his right hand, his ability to do Jutsu had been severely impeded.

Something told him that doing a body-shedding technique would probably not help.

"We retreat. They've countered most of my trump cards and with Sarutobi and Jiraiya around, even Suna's Jinchuuriki cannot overcome our disadvantage."

"And our forces?"

"Ignore them." Orochimaru said. "I have more where they came from and they were little more than sword-fodder anyway. The more damage they do before they get killed, the better-placed we'll be when we return to destroy Konoha. Let's go. And try to keep out of sight, let's let the damned tree-huggers think we're still here. The longer they think that, the easier we can escape. I'll need all my medical staff assembled, this injury may prove… problematic."

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"Gaara, hold still."

Temari tried to apply a bandage to her youngest brother's shoulder, but a sudden swirl of sand caused her to leap back as Gaara lifted his head, his eyes almost fixed with madness.

"He hurt me." Gaara ground out. "Mother wants his blood… _I_ want his blood… I will kill him! He will pay for hurting me!"

Kankuro dropped down from the tree.

"I just received a message, a group of Konoha nin are following us and are about to be ambushed. That should buy a few more minutes for Gaara to get mobile, but we need to get into position to block Konoha reinforcements. Come on!"

With a worried look at her brother, Temari leapt into the trees.

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"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he shifted on Kyouka's back. "We're being followed. Lee and I will deal with it, you go ahead and catch up with Sasuke."

Shikamaru leapt off Kyouka's back and landed on the ground. Mobing into the shelter of a bush, he motioned for Lee to do the same, then he focused as a group of seven Suna ninja landed in the clearing.

"_Kagemane no Jutsu_, complete." Shikamaru said as his shadow branched out and caught the ninja. "Now, I can't hold you all for long, but I don't have to. Lee, please knock them all out as I let them go."

"Yosh, I shall do that!" Lee shouted as he blurred between the trapped ninja, striking at them as Shikamaru released each one and sending them into the trees or slamming into the ground. The last ninja, though, Lee threw into the trees above Shikamaru, who looked up just in time to see the thrown ninja slamming into a nija who was dropping down, Kunai in hand.

"Thanks, Lee." Shikamaru said. "Good job."

"Naruto-kun's pulled similar tricks on me before with his Kage Bunshin, so I was prepared." Lee said. "You are not as fast as I am, so climb onto my back and we shall head out after our youthful friends."

Shikamaru sighed. As he let Lee settle him on his back, he spoke. "Lee, no-one finds out we did this. It would be a real drag putting up with all the teasing."

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Sasuke landed on the edge of the clearing and stared at Gaara.

"We still have a match to finish."

"Mother wants your blood!" Gaara snarled, the sand rippling round him. In front of Sasuke's eyes, Gaara seemed to warp and grow as the sand formed round him, then Gaara lashed out with his left hand, the talons on the end of it slashed through the trees as Sasuke dodged.

"Time for you to prove my existence!" Gaara ranted, his eyes gleaming with madness. "Time for you to die!"

Sasuke dived under the second slash and threw his kunai at Gaara. The gourd on Gaara's back poured out more sand, which whipped round to swat away the Kunai.

"Oh, not good." Sasuke whispered as Gaara turned to face him, showing that half his face had been changed by the strange technique.

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"Puppetmaster to our left!" Hinata hissed as she dropped off Kyouka's back, "Wind-girl to the right. I can take Temari, Kiba, you and Akamaru take on the puppeteer. His puppet's just there, he's hiding over there."

Kiba sniffed slightly, then grinned.

"Got him." He said, pulling out a soldier pill. "Hey, buddy, you up for one more round? Excellent. Good luck, Hinata. Don't get killed."

"Same to you." Hinata said, pulling out her dagger and handing it to Kyouka. "Take this to the battlefield, the push some chakra into it. Naruto-kun'll take it from there."

Kyouka nodded and leapt away as Hinata performed a fast series of hand seals.

"_Secret Technique Tiger Warrior_."

A burst of smoke engulfed Hinata, dissipating to reveal her in her bipedal-tiger transformed state.

"Well, Temari," She growled as she strode forwards, Byakugan activated and claws extended, "Let's play. Come on out, little mouse of the sand."

From her position in the tree canopy, Temari swallowed nervously.

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Kankuro smirked as the beastlike Konoha-nin moved in closer to his puppet.

"Now you die." He whispered, only to freeze as a pair of talon-like hands grabbed his neck and arm.

"Did you really think I couldn't tell the difference between how puppets and people smell?" Kiba growled, his voice filled with dark amusement. "Be real."

Kankuro gulped before the ninja slammed him against the tree.

"Can… can we talk about this?"

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Sasuke slammed into the tree so hard that his vision swam. When it recovered, he found a pair of familiar feet in front of him.

"Well." Naruto said cheerfully. "Looks like I got summoned just in time. Thanks Kyouka, you'd better take the dagger back to Hinata now. I got this. _Kuchyose no Jutsu!_"

A cloud of smoke formed and dissipated to reveal a giant bipedal armour-clad lion.

"Krugeri-sama, I wondered if you'd like to join me in this fight?" Naruto grinned.

"**I would indeed."** The summoned warrior rumbled, unsheathing his sword. **"I hear fighting in the background, maybe you should summon some others to help. At this time, you may summon the Pride, the Ambush, the Knights, the Leap, the…"**

Krugeri trailed off as he saw Naruto's expression.

"The what?"

"**They are how we Greatcats are defined. The Pride are Lions like myself. The Ambush are Tigers, the Knights are the Jaguars, the Leap are Leopards, the Prowlers are Snow Leopards. There are others, but I will instruct you in them later, when we have the time."**

Before Naruto could respond, his reflexes cut in and he leapt sideways, barely avoiding Gaara's attack.

"**Ah yes, the fight."** Krugeri grinned. **"Let us fight this one together, my summoner!"**

Naruto grinned and sprinted forwards, slashing at the sand-arm that lashed out at him, then he rolled sideways, pulling out a Kunai with a tag wrapped around the handle. As Gaara blocked Krugeri's downwards slash with his tail, Naruto found himself in the perfect position to launch his attack.

"_Konoha Hidden Village Techniqe, One Thousand Years Of Pain Kagetora Style!_"

Gaara froze, a disbelieving expression on his face, then the explosion launched him headfirst into a tree.

Krugeri stared for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"**Kid, that was incredible! What a move… I'll have to remember it."**

"What's going on? How's he doing that?"

Sasuke's semi-panicked question caused both Krugeri and Naruto to turn and look at the fallen Jinchuuriki. Although Gaara wasn't moving, his sand was a different matter, drawing itself in around Gaara and forming a new shape.

"That doesn't look good."

"**No, I think we may have accidently allowed the Ichibi to take control."** Krugeri mused. **"The seal must be absolutely useless for it to happen this fast, though."**

Naruto nodded as he stared up at the rapidly-forming giant beast.

"**You know, I can't help thinking that the Toad contract would have been a good thing for you to have had as well as the Greatcat contract."** Krugeri mused as the sand beast unleashed a burst of raucous laughter. **"Having Gamabunta here would have been very useful. Only a Legendary Summons or a Jinchuriiki has a chance at fighting a Biju."**

'_**Kit,'**_ Kyuubi whispered in Naruto's mind, _**'Tell him.'**_

"Ummm, Krugeri… I _am_ a Jinchuuriki. I hold the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He told me to tell you."

Krugeri turned to look at him thoughtfully.

"**The Kyuubi? Then we may have a chance. Kurama, will you work with me on this?"**

'_**Tell him yes, Kit. I think I know what he's going to do. Just relax and let him handle the actual technique, I'll provide the power and you're the one that'll hold it together.'**_

"He says yes." Naruto said as the monster looked down at them.

Krugeri nodded and in a flowing move, nicked his own arm and Naruto's, then grabbed the boy and placed his bleeding wound against Naruto's.

"**Ultimate Greatcat Jinchuuriki Co-operation Warrior Technique, Lord of Battle!"** He roared and the world seemed to vanish.

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Naruto was confused, he felt wrong, but right at the same time. His body was clad in armour and was moving to a Will that wasn't his, Power was flowing through him, and he could feel both theWill and the Power drifting away. Almost instinctively he reached out and pulled them closer to him, and as he did so, the Power and the Will increased.

He let the world fade away from his awareness as he held onto the Will and the Power, bringing them closer as they flowed through him.

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Sasuke couldn't move. It wasn't pain that held him immobile, although he was indeed injured. It wasn't fear, although he'd never seen anything quite so terrifying in his life.

The giant sand monster loomed above the trees, its tail lashing and causing huge amounts of damage, but Sasuke's awareness focused on the giant armed figure facing it, the giant cat-like warrior armed with a sword bigger than a tree and a giant shield, a warrior clad in plate armour inscribed with runic symbols he'd never even imagined and which radiated great power.

"**Free at last!"** The sand-monster screamed out. **"I'm going to destroy this fucking village and then destroy everything else!"**

"_**THINE VENGEANCE SHALT NOT BE ALLOWED.**__"_ The armoured figure rumbled, swinging its sword with the sound of a dozen hurricanes. **"**_**THOU SHALT BE THWARTED IN THINE SCHEMES, SHUKAKU OF THE ONE-TAIL, AND RETURNED ONCE MORE INTO THINE CONTAINER.**_**"**

"**Never!"** Shukaku roared, **"I will never lose! Do your worst, I can take it and give it back doubled!"**

"_**AS THOU HATH CHOSEN, SO SHALT IT BE.**_**" **Came the reply and the giant moved to attack, sword flicking out with a speed and power that no blade that size should be able to withstand while the giant's rectangular shield, braced firmly, withstood the slashing attacks of the sand-monster without a scratch.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted, dropping the girl she was carrying as she stared up at the giant and Sasuke blinked.

"Naruto?" He gasped as the giant stumbled back a step before counter-attacking. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"_**THINE WEAKNESS IS OBVIOUS, SHUKAKU.**_**"** The giant rumbled. **"**_**ONCE THINE JINCHUURIKI AWAKENS, THOU SHALT BE SEALED ONCE MORE.**_**"**

Hinata sprinted towards the giant and leapt onto his tail. The giant glanced down at the sudden, albeit miniscule impact.

"I can see Gaara on that thing's head!" Hinata shouted. "Get me to him and I can wake him up!"

The giant nodded slightly, then plunged his sword straight through Shukaku, releasing the handle to punch his fist into the beast. Hinata braced herself as the tail whipped up, then she leapt, using the momentum gained to land just beside the sleeping form of Gaara. Pausing only long enough to regain her balance, she drew her hand back…

SLAP!

Gaara's eyes flew open.

"**NOOOOOO**OOOOOOO**ooooooo**ooooo…"

As the Shukaku vanished into a pile of sand, the giant caught the falling forms of Hinata and Gaara and lowered them gently to the ground.

"_**AND THUS IS THE TASK COMPLETED, THE ICHIBI HATH BEEN DEFEATED. THE SUMMONER DOTH REQUIRE HEALING SLEEP. KEEP HIM SAFE, MOONLIGHT PRINCESS.**_**"**

Hinata looked up as the giant glowed brightly before evaporating into golden sparkles, leaving only the form of Naruto lying on the ground.

"How… Why…?"

"What?" Hinata responded almost absently as she knelt beside Naruto, checking his vital signs.

"How did he defeat me? How did he manage to fight like that?" Gaara whispered.

"He fought like that because he was protecting people he cared about." Hinata said quietly, gazing down at the boy she loved. "He pushes himself to his limits to become stronger in mind, heart and soul, so that he can protect everyone around him. And it is protecting others that grants him the strength he needs."

Gaara pulled himself up into a sitting position, his face filled with conflicting emotions.

"He beat me… because he protects others?"

Hinata nodded, settling Naruto's head into her lap. "He cares for others, and those he truly cares about return that feeling. You have those who care about you, if you let them, Gaara. Your sister was crying your name as she saw you fighting."

"But… Temari never… cries." Gaara said slowly.

"…gaara…"

Gaara looked across at where Temari was lying, her one open eye staring at him.

"…gaara… you're still alive… thank Kami…"

Wincing at the pain, Gaara pulled himself to his feet and stumbled over to Temari. Sitting down next to her, he looked over at Hinata for a moment, then moved Temari so that her head was in his lap, looking up at him.

"…gaara…?"

Gaara looked down at her.

"I think… I think Iunderstand now, Temari. I understand what you were trying to say to me for all those years. I get it now. Get some rest, sister, I will protect you."

Temari smiled weakly and her eyes closed.

"Wow, guys." Kiba said, emerging from the devastation at the edge of the now-enlarged clearing. "You really don't do things small, do you?"

"Damn." Kankuro said as he looked round, reaching up to stroke Akamaru who was, for some reason perched on his head. "I thought Gaara could do damage, but this?"

"Now you know why I _don't_ go after Hinata, despite how hot she is." Kiba said. "No way am I getting her fiancee angry at me, he's scarier than Hinata when you take the last cinnamon roll!"

"Kiba!" Hinata laughingly protested.

From the shadows, a silver-haired figure watched them before fading away, a scowl on his face.


	31. Chapter 31

_Author's note, just so you know_

_I still do not own Naruto_

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**Chapter Thirty-One – Aftermath**

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Sarutobi glared at the council, reflecting once again that he was definitely getting too old for his job.

"…and we can confirm that Orochimaru ambushed the Kazekage on his way to Konoha and killed him, taking his place." Baki said from where he was standing at the foot of the table. "I was on the team that discovered his body and those of his retainers. Until such time as Suna appoints a new Kazekage, the Suna Council will be in charge. They have appointed me as ambassador with plenipotentiary powers to provide a full, formal apology to Konoha as well as seeking a new treaty."

Before the councillors could start to work themselves up, Hirzen held his hand up.

"Thank you, Ambassador Baki. Is there anything else you would like to add?"

Baki looked round.

"Yes. The three children of our former Kazekage. I am fully aware that they are safe at the Kagetora clan-home at the moment and I wish to extend my thanks to Uzumaki Honoka for modifying the seal on Gaara, solving most of the problems he was having. She assures me that the only way the Ichibi can be released is if Gaara willingly releases it."

"When you return to Suna, they will return with you." Hiruzen said, ignoring the glares from the council members convinced that the three should be kept as hostages. Baki bowed.

"Thank you. At the moment, Gaara is helping to look after Kagetora Naruto. He is quite… insistent that no harm comes to him. I think he holds Naruto responsible for the solving of his problems and his new, and quite frankly less terrifying, outlook on life. If that is all, Lord Hokage?"

"It is. Treaty negotiations will begin tomorrow afternoon, you may wish to get some rest and check on your charges."

Baki nodded and left the chamber. Before the council could startmaking demands, Sarutobi started to speak.

"The recent events have proven that I am getting too old for this job. I have spoken to Jiraiya and he has declared that if he becomes Hokage, he will undoubtably mess things up. As such, I have tasked him with finding my choice of replacement, Senju Tsunade."

Several councillors instantly spoke up.

"But she left Konoha, why should she return?" "Doesn't she owe a fortune in gambling debts?" "It'll be good having one of the Sannin taking over, and not Orochimaru." "With her returning, does that mean that the Senju clan will be resurrected too?"

"Silence!" Sarutobi thundered. The council instantly shut up and Sarutobi continued to speak. "I have sent Jiraiya and a Chunin versed in diplomacy and etiquette to find Tsunade. For security and to increase their speed, six of the Great Tigers have gone with them."

"Speaking of Chunin," Hiashi observed almost dispassionately, "What were the results of the exams?"

"While the exams were indeed cut short, I saw enough during the exams and afterwards to decide the best genin to promote. I am only promoting two genin this year, both of whom showed incredible skill both in the exams and in the recent battle against Orochimaru. Hyuuga Hinata and Kagetora Naruto are hereby both promoted to Chunin. Furthermore, after reviewing the information she offered after discovering what Orochimaru had done to her team-mates, I am provisionally recruiting Tsuchi Kin, formerly of Otogakure, as a genin-recruit of Konohagakure and assigning her to replace Hyuuga Hinata as a member of team 8."

Sarutobi glared at the council. "If anyone disapproves, they can damned well wait until Tsunade arrives."

"May I inform my daughter as to her promotion?" Hiashi asked and Sarutobi shook his head.

"Sorry, I've already done so. I needed to, as I've sent her on a mission."

Hiashi started to nod, then he froze, his eyes wide with horror. "You sent _my daughter_ on a mission with that pervert Jiraiya?!"

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"I brought you some food." Temari said and Gaara looked up from where he was sitting by Naruto's bed, reading from a scroll.

"Thank you, nii-san." He said quietly as she placed the tray on the small table beside him.

"No change, huh?"

"No." Gaara said. "I promised Hinata-sama that I would look after him for her. It seemed… appropriate."

Temari looked down at the sleeping blond and smiled slightly.

"How's the new seal holding?"

"Honoka-san does excellent work." Gaara said with a slight smile which would have gone unnoticed by any who didn't know him well. "Shukaku's voice is… gone, unless I will it. He seems calmer too, for some reason. And my control over my sand has improved."

"And you can sleep." Temari said, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"YOU'RE A WHAT?"

Gaara looked at the doorway in confusion as Kankuro's disbelieving yell echoed through. Temari facepalmed.

"I think that our darling brother has just met Haku." She said wryly. "To be fair, Haku really does look like a girl…"

"And Kankuro started to flirt." Gaara smirked. "I wonder if this'll teach him a lesson?"

"Nope." Temari said. "He's met up with Inuzuka Kiba, the two of them are so damned alike when it comes to trying to chase anything that's female."

"Konoha has a Kankuro of it's own?" Gaara asked and Temari nodded.

"Except that he uses a dog instead of a puppet, pretty much."

"That is… disturbing." Gaara declared after several moments thought. "Almost as disturbing as that _Sunset Genjitsu_."

"Nothing is as disturbing as _that_." Temari shuddered. "Men shouldn't hug that way."

For a few moments, a comfortable silence descended, then Gaara spoke. "I wonder how Hinata-sama is doing?"

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"You know," Jiraiya said almost meditatively, "I could really get used to this.

Hinata glanced over at him from her perch on Kyouka's back, her expression questioning.

"Riding like this." Jiraiya explained. "Toads are almost as fast, but they take giant leaps rather than running like this, and they're impossible to miss. Tigers, though… poetry in motion."

"I'm glad you're enjoying this." Hinata said, and Jiraiya smiled at her.

"Wonderful scenery, beautiful company… and don't worry. Until you get a bit older, you don't need to worry about me acting perverted around you. I may be a pervert, but I do have standards."

"How can a pervert have standards?" Hinata asked despite herself. Jiraiya laughed.

"Oh, it's simple. Don't corrupt the innocent girls, their innocence is to be cherished. Never take advantage of a woman in her moment of weakness, the final decision must always be hers. Never avoid the blows of a single woman, but always flee the group. Things like that. I only really perv on those who appreciate it, or those who are willing and able to defend themselves. Anything else is just wrong."

"That's… actually quite profound." Hinata admitted after a few moment's thought. "I don't know whether that's impressive or just plain wrong."

"That's the difference between a _pervert_ and a _super pervert_!" Jiraiya grinned. "Besides, I need to get my research for my books somewhere."

"Yes, they're suprisingly quite good." Hinata said absently, then she blushed and clapped a hand over her mouth as Jiraiya roared with gleeful laughter.

"Oh, Kami must love me!" Jiraiya chortled. "You're a fan? I'll be happy to sign your books, no charge at all! Is Naruto a fan too? And how did you get into my books? I know you're father's a great fan, but I didn't expect you to be."

"My father's a fan of _Icha Icha_?" Hinata gasped and Jiraiya nodded.

"Yep, signed first-print hardback editions and everything. He keeps them in a special box that the Byakugan can't penetrate, keyed to his chakra signature. Now, how about an answer."

"Anko-sensei introduced me to them to help me get over my shyness." Hinata admitted. "I've been introducing Naruto to them, but he's still really clueless about things like that. He read right through _Icha Icha Traveller_, and he still constantly blushes whenever we bathe together. Keeps trying to look away as well, I have to grab him to get him to actually look at me."

"Wow." Jiraiya said. "That really is something. But you two are happy together?"

Hinata blushed again and Jiraiya smiled gently. "I see that you are. Good to know that the gaki has someone as beautiful as you caring about him."

Hinata's blush deepened.

"So, where are we headed?" She asked. Jiraiya smiled again at her attempt to change the subject.

"We're starting at Shukuba Town." He said. "I have contacts there who should be able to tell us where we need to go next. In the meantime, I have a jutsu or two you may like to learn, although if you grow your hair a bit, they'll become easier to use."

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"Sasuke?" Sakura paused in her training kata, looking over at her dark-haired team-mate. "Are… are you alright?"

Sasuke stopped punching the training log and turned around.

"I couldn't win." He said. "Gaara was too much for me, yet Naruto took him down easily."

"Naruto had help." Sakura protested. "He had that summons and Hinata, she's the one who delivered the final blow. And Naruto hasn't recovered yet, he's still in his coma."

"He had help…" Sasuke mused. "I need to get stronger… but Naruto is already stronger than I am… how does he do it?"

"Teamwork." Kakashi said, causing both genin to jump in shock as neither had seen him arrive. "He trains with others so that they can tell him where his weaknesses are and how to overcome them. That helps him grow stronger. Of course, the fact that he learned from me _and_ Maito Gai explains quite a bit. And then there's his Kekkei Genkai."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "He's fast. Even with my Sharingan, it's all I can do to keep track of him when he goes all out. I need to get faster too."

"Well thought out." Kakashi nodded. "Your fighting style is all about intercepting incoming attacks, speed will help you a great deal. I would advise weights. You'll never reach Lee's level, he's trained too many years for you to catch up now, but with enough training, you may be ableto last against him for more than a minute."

Sasuke nodded. "Thanks sensei. I'll try that."

"And stop measuring yourself against Naruto." Kakashi added. "He has advantages you'll never have, but he has major weaknesses too. Despite what you saw, he isn't invincible. Heck, he's almost defenceless against Genjitsu."

Sasuke nodded again. "I know he isn't invincible, I looked in on him yesterday. I hope that Tsunade gets here soon, she's supposed to be the best medic-nin Konoha's produced. If anyone can help the dobe, she can. After all, he said he'd help me when I confront my brother."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?"

"You… actually accepted someone… else's help willingly?" Sakura asked and Sasuke snorted.

"Come on. He was trained by both Kakashi-sansei and Maito Gai, taijitsu expert, plus Anko-sensei has boosted his stealth skills to an absolutely _insane_ degree. He persuaded Zabuza-sensei to teach me how to use my sword, integrating my taijitsu, kenjitsu and ninjitsu into a single fighting style, I'd have to be a complete and utter _moron_ to turn down help from someone like that. I still have what he calls pride issues, but he's whacked me down so many times whenever we sparred that I've actually got a handle on how good I am, and I'm nowhere near good enough yet."

"If I had known earlier about how you've matured," Hiruzen said from beside Kakashi, causing the two genin to leap in shock again, "Then I would probably have promoted you as well. As it is, I'll mark you as a probable for the next exam you participate in."

"I… um… Thank you, Hokage-sama." Sasuke said, bowing slightly.

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"Are you sure you don't want to check into an inn?" Jiraiya asked as Hinata finished pitching the two-man tent. She gave him a smile and untied the packs that one of the other tigers had been carrying for her.

"Jiraiya-sama," She said, "How many inns would accept the Great Tigers as their guests? If you wish to sleep in an inn, the town is literally over the rise, but_ I_ am staying with my friends. Besides, how can I be any safer in an inn without them as compared to sleeping in a tent surrounded by a dozen Great Tigers?"

Jiraiya nodded slowly.

"Well, I'll see you in the morning." He said as he started to walk off.

"Bring cinnamon rolls!" Hinata shouted and Jiraiya waved acknowledgement. Hinata stroked Kyouka's head, then started to build a small campfire as several of the tigers vanished.

'_That toad-man is very powerful._' Kyouka noted from where she was sprawled by the tent. '_I find his actions quite interesting and he seems to have quite an honourable personality, although he hides it very well._'

"He has his moments," Hinata admitted, "Although I think that we should never tell Naruto-kun that his parents unwittingly provided a great deal of material for his first _Icha Icha_ book."

'_His expression when he realised what he had just said, though._' Kyouka snorted and Hinata nodded, then turned to where the vanished tigers were returning with the results of their foraging. One of them walked over and placed two dead rabbits on the ground.

"Thank you." Hinata said with a smile, picking up the first rabbit and starting to skin it.


	32. Chapter 32

_Author's Note – Naruto is not among the assets I can claim_

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**Chapter Thirty-Two – Persuasio****n**

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The scent of cinammon rolls hung in the air and Hinata emerged from her tent like a cat leaping from ambush. Jiraiya laughed as Hinata grabbed one of the rolls and bit into it with a blissful expression.

"Wow, you really _do_ like them." He joked and Hinata paused in her devouring just long enough to glare at him. Rather than inrimidating him, however, it only served to cause him to laugh harder before he managed to catch his breath and compose himself.

"We need to pack up soon." He said. "My informant told me that Tsunade was spotted heading into Tanzaku Quarters the day before yesterday. With your tigers, we'll probably make it before she decides to get going."

Hinata nodded as she pulled out and rolled up the bedroll she'd been using, then quickly folded the tent. Turning round, she blinked at seeing Jiraiya finishing sealing everything else into a scroll.

"What?" He asked. "It's easier than trying to put it all into a pack. Now pass over the tent."

Hinata did so and Jiraiya sealed it into the scroll, then rolled it up and passed it over.

"There we go, all packed up. Let's move."

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"Still no change?" Hiruzen asked softly and Gaara sighed.

"He is still sleeping, he will not wake up. I… do not know what to do."

"You're doing a good job." Baki said. "How are you feeling?"

"… I am not sure." Gaara admitted. "The new seal is working, I… was able to sleep last night. I do not remember the last time I slept. And Shukaku has grown quiet. He said… that the seal no longer hurts. And that he can sleep also. I have been thinking about the past and… I have much to atone for."

"As does Suna." Baki said softly. "I took down Hayate and lied about it, for instance. Your father ordered a weak seal be used to ensure that you could use as much of Shukaku's power as possible, he didn't care about _you_ as long as he got his weapon. Those of us who did care, couldn't do anything about it."

"I… understand." Gaara said. "What Hinata told me, what Naruto did… I understand. Do you think that Hinata will be able to bring Tsunade here?"

Hiruzen chuckled. "Hinata will do _anything_ for Naruto. I t wouldn't surprise me if she decided to face down Tsunade and literally drag her back to heal him."

"Lord Hokag..uuuurk!"

"It's alright, Gaara!" Hiruzen said quickly. "He's an ANBU, he's not here to hurt anyone!"

Gaara nodded and the sand that had trapped the masked ninja against the wall retreated.

"Alright, what is it?"

"Lord Hokage, there's a problem…"

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"You just _had_ to sneeze!" Kiba yelled as he sprinted down the street.

"Hey, it's not my fault, I have allergies!" Kankuro retorted, not even sparing a glance back to where his puppet was lying in pieces after being trampled.

"Last time I show you the sights!"

"Get back here, you peeping perverts!" screamed one of the pursuing Kunoichi. Kiba and Kankuro glanced at each other, then accelerated.

"Dammit, I wish I'd paid more attention to Naruto's training missions," Kiba panted. "He found loads of good hiding places when training against ANBU."

Before Kankuro could react, a Kunai sliced through one of his hood's ears.

"They're clad in towels!" He protested. "How the hell did they pull out those swords and kunai?"

Kiba blinked.

"I… don't think this is the time to worry about that! Come on, this way!"

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"My brother is a moron." Gaara deadpanned. "When Temari finds out about this, he will be in trouble."

"Your sister is one of the ones in pursuit." The ANBU said and Gaara closed his eyes.

"Kankuro… you _idiot_."

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"Tsunade, so nice to see you here."

Tsunade looked up from her sake, glaring at the familiar figure. "Orochimaru, what are you doing here."

"Oh, I had a little problem." Orochimaru said, holding up his shortened right arm. "I got stabbed with a very strange chakra blade, and it's… becoming a bit of an issue."

Tsunade stared at the proffered limb. "What the… I…"

"I just need you to stop the effect of whatever chakra was used." Orochimaru said. "My two best medical ninjas can't do more than slow it down, and that's with hourly treatments. Don't worry about repairing, I got a scroll of puppet jutsus from Suna and I'm looking forwards to experimenting with puppet-limbs. In order to use it, though, I need my arm stabilised. Despite your drinking and gambling, you are still the greatest med-nin in all the Elemental nations…"

Tsunade slowly reached out and scanned the stump. After a moment, she blinked.

"That's… Bijuu chakra. Last time I saw something like that was… was the Kyuubi!"

"Bijuu chakra…" Orochimaru mused. "So, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has learned to use the monster within."

"What were you doing there anyay?" Tsunade asked and Orochimaru shrugged.

"I was just trying to contact our old teacher, but the Kyuubi brat attacked without warning. The old man was seriously injured in the attack, not mortally, but quite badly. I hear the council is going to promote Jiraiya to be the new Hokage."

"That pervert as Hokage?" Tsunade scoffed. "They've had dumb ideas in the past, but this one?"

Orochimaru smirked. "Indeed. So, is there anything I can offer you to persuade you to help me with my… medical condition?"

Tsunade looked at him, then shook her head.

"There is nothing anyone can give me any more."

"Not even Dan and Nawaki?" Orochimaru almost purred. "I know a technique that can bring them back."

Tsunade froze, not even breathing and Orochimaru stood up.

"I'll give you until the end of the week to think about it, Tsunade."

"Tsunade! Here you are!"

Tsunade looked up to see that Orochimaru had vanished. Looking round, she met the irritated glare of her assistant.

"What is it, Shizune?"

Shizune sighed and sat down next to her. "You really need to stop running off like that, milady."

"Yes, Shizune." Tsunade sighed as she prepared herself for the inevitabe scolding.

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Hinata looked round, her Byakygan active as she scanned the heaving crowds.

"Gaaaah, this is impossible!" Jiraiya fumed. "She could be anywhere!"

"Remind me of the description." Hinata said slowly. "Blond hair, diamond tattoo in the middle of the forehead, green jacket, has a dark-haired assistant and pet pig, is that right?"

"Yes." Jiraiya said slowly, looking at her, "Why?"

Hinata smiled and changed course. Jiraiya looked to where she was headed and smiled. "I think you're still a bit young for sake, but yes, a refreshing drink would be very… Tsunade?"

The blond at one of the tables looked up in shock, then her face creased in a frown.

"Jiraiya, what are you doing here?"

"Getting a drink. Bottle of your finest sake please." Jiraiya retorted, placing a bundle of ryu on the bar.

"Watered fruit juice for me please." Hinata requested.

"Hmmm, a Hyuuga." Tsunade noted as Hinata bowed slightly to her. "And a Main House member as well. You have an interesting taste in girlfriends, Jiraiya, but isn't she a bit younger than usual for you?"

"She's already spoken for." Jiraiya said, ignoring Hinata's blush and death-glare aimed at Tsunade, who was smirking.

"Cute little thing, isn't she. And she's generating quite a bit of Killing Intent, nowhere near enough to bother me, but enough to be noticed. Cut it out, girl. I've been glared at by people far scarier than you."

"Enough, Hinata." Jiraiya said, passing her the cup of fruit juice and scooping up the bottle and saucer. Walking over to the table, he slid into the seat opposite Tsunade and Hinata sat down next to him, nodding at Shizune.

"So, why are you here?" Tsunade asked, glaring at Jiraiya, who smiled at her and filled her saucer with sake.

"The old man sent me. He wants you back, Tsunade."

"I heard he'd been injured."

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow. "Not quite. Orochimaru launched an attack, but it got beaten off. He managed to temporarily resurrect the first, second and fourth Hokages, but was interrupted before he could complete the ritual and use them as his slaves to kill the old man."

"Interrupted by the Kyuubi brat." Tsunade realised and Jiraiya nodded.

"Kid managed to take down an anchored barrier, one with four anchor points and casters, then he used his clones to weaken snake-teme before heading off to defeat the Ichibi, using a fusion technique with a summons I've never seen before." Jiraiya said. "But it cost him, he's in a coma."

Tsunade glanced across at Hinata and Jiraiya nodded. "Yep, she's his girlfriend and fiancee."

"And you accompanied him because…?"

"I have my own mission." Hinata said quietly. "To bring you to Konoha to heal my fiancee."

"And why should I return?" Tsunade growled.

"The old man wants you to take the hat." Jiraiya stated and Shizune gasped.

"Forget it." Tsunade snapped, rising from her seat. "Shizune, we're leaving."

Hinata moved to stand in front of Tsunade as the older woman rose. Tsunade looked down at her as she dropped into the Jyuuken stance and activated her Byakugan.

"What, you think you can stop me?" Tsunade asked, obviously amused and Hinata's expression darkened. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, I do." Hinata stated, refusing to back down. "You are a once-great medical ninja who is now a worthless drunk and loser, constantly betraying the memory of those who expected better of you."

Tsunade's expression froze, then shesnarled. "Who do you think you are, you little bitch? How _dare_ you say that?!"

"Who am I?" Hinata repeated, her anger overpowering her screaming self-preservation instincts. "I am Hyuuga Hinata, former clan heir of the Hyuuga clan who handed the position to another for love. To the Great Tigers, I am known as _Precious Flower With Eyes Of The Moon_, the bond-partner of _Flower Blossoming In The Dawn_. I am the one who ended the rampage of the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi and the one who can face down the strongest man in Konoha. I am the Moonlight Princess of the Kagetora clan and the student of both the Snake-mistress and the Genjitsu Mistress of Konoha . I am a Kunoichi. I am a _Shinobi_. I know what my duty is and I uphold my responsibilities without fear or hesitation, and that means that_ I_ am greater by far than what _you_ have become. Who am I, you ask? I am the one who will drag you to Konoha to heal my beloved, whether you want to go or not. _That_ is who I am, _that_ is what I will do."

Tsunade stared at her, then glanced over to Jiraiya who gave a single nod of confirmation.

"Her beloved is the one who took Orochimaru's hand." Jiraiya said. "He's the Yondaime's son, or he was until the council stripped him of his heritage."

"And that is what you want me to become the Hokage of?" Tsunade said quietly but firmly. "A village that betrays its leader as soon as he dies?"

"No." Jiraiya said. "A village that has learned from its mistakes and is trying to reform. Naruto doesn't want tp reclaim his father's name, or his mother's, anymore. He's made his own, built the core of a new clan. Heck, he's even found a full-blood Uzumaki to rebuild the Uzumaki clan and recovered a bunch of Senju techniques from the ruins of Uzushiogakure, techniques which are being held for you. And right now, Tsunade, as Hinata told you, he needs your help."

"So, even if I don't accept the Hokage position, you'll drag me to Konoha anyway." Tsunade noted, looking at the chunin who was glaring at her. "And If I become Hokage, I'll have to put up with the scheming council who've turned the position into a figurehead."

"The council has been… pruned and the advisors power reduced." Jiraiya said. "Sarutobi will be there to aid you however you wish, should you accept."

"…tell me about the other genin of your generation." Tsunade said sitting down again. "Are they all as… determined as you?"

Jiraiya leaned back in his seat, relaxing, and Hinata slowly lowered her hands deactivating her Byakugan. A moment later she collapsed, only Shizune's reflexes preventing her from crashing into the table. Tsunade leapt out of her seat and started a diagnostic jutsu on the now-prone girl.

"What happened?" Jiraiya asked, kneeling beside her, a worried expression on his face.

Tsunade stopped her scan, stared at Hinata, then a disbelieving chuckle rose despite her best efforts. A moment later, she was almost collapsed against Jiraiya, shaking with laughter.

"What. Happened?"

"She'll be fine." Tsunade giggled. "She just fainted."

"Probably realised that she just glared down one of the Sannin." Jiraiya noted with a grin, helping Tsunade back to her feet, then crouching down to scoop up Hinata. Looking round, Jiraiya sighed and nodded meaningfully at the table. Tsunade moved it out of the way and Jiraiya gently laid Hinata down on the padded bench.

"I _like_ her." Tsunade grinned as Shizune slipped past her and began her own diagnostic jutsu. "Girl's got guts."

"She's out cold." Jiraiya pointed out and Tsunade shrugged.

"So? She's got real guts to stand up to me and threaten me like that. Collapsing afterwards, perfectly understandable and it doesn't reduce the respect I have for her. If the old man wants me back, I'll come, but I have some business to take care of first. I have a liar to take care of."

"A liar?" Jiraiya asked, "Can we help?"

"You know," Tsunade mused, "I think you just may be able to… Tell me about her skills. And what was that she was saying about cats?"

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Hinata slowly opened her eyes and gazed blankly at the canvas roof.

"Was it… a dream?"

"Nope." A cheerful foice said and Hinata's gaze snapped across to see Shizune sat beside her, pet pig in lap. "It was real, you glared down Tsunade and impressed her enough to get her to think again."

Hinata blushed, earning another laugh.

"None of that, now let me just check you over…"

Shizune stretched out a hand and passed it over Hinata. "Yep, all good to go. Jiraiya and Tsunade are waiting outside."

Hinata scrambled out of the tent and stood up, looking round in amused shock. In front of her, Jiraiya was finishing giving instructions to a toad who nodded and vanished into a cloud of smoke while Tsunade was snoring softly as she lay along the spine of one of the largest tigers in the party.

"Welcome back." Jiraiya said with a smile. "I _knew_ it was a good idea to bring you along. And not just for your friends."

Kyouka let out a protesting rumble and Jiraiya laughed again. "You missed lunch, but I saved some for you. Eat up and we can talk tactics when Tsunade wakes up. She's with the tigers getting some… what did the gaki call it? Ah yes. Some much needed fuzzy therapy."

Shizune chuckled.


	33. Chapter 33

_Athor's Note – I don't own Naruto. Does anyone seriously think that I do?_

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**Chapter Thirty-Three – Confrontation**

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"So." Orochimaru said slowly, holding up his stump, showing that his arm now ended at the elbow. "Have you decided yet, Tsunade?"

Tsunade glared at Orochimaru, then looked at the silver-haired man and the red-haired woman flanking him. The silver-haired man smirked.

"I think that she's decided against helping, sir."

"I see." Orochimaru said. "It's a good thing I learned how to fight left-handed. I may be reduced in power, but even with my handicap, me and my two apprentices against one washed-out bitch of a sannin? I don't think this fight will last very long."

As if in response to Orochimaru's comment, a massive massed roar shook the air and a dozen white shapes raced up the hill towards them, coming to a stop beside Tsunade and unleashing a caophany of snarls and roars. Jiraiya, Shizune and Hinata dropped down from the tigers and Orochimaru raised one eyebrow.

"So, the Slug Princess called for help, and from the Toad Sage no 's been a long time, Jiraiya."

"Orochimaru." Jiraiya said curtly. "Who are your lackeys?"

"I don't know the red-head, but the man's called Kabuto." Hinata stated. "He was a genin during the chunin exams, but I think it must have been a trick."

"Oh, my, yes." Kabuto said with a smile as he adjusted his glasses. "I'm far more than a Genin. Nowhere near my master's level, of course, but definitely above yours."

"Hinata." Jiraiya said, "We're likely to be using summons, so we'll need some space. I don't know anything about the red-head's skills, but from how they stand, they've probably got some med-nin training, making them very dangerous."

"I know." Hinata said, her hands flashing through a series of seals. "That's why I'm doing this. _Secret Technique Tiger Warrior!_"

Orochimaru's eyes widened as the smoke cleared to reveal Hinata had transformed into a two-meter-tall bipedal tiger.

"That… is a very interesting technique." He said slowly. "I tried to come up with something similar, but I could never get it to work right, it tended to kill the subjects. I think we need to take _you_ alive. Kabuto?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto said as he started to circle round. Hinata started to stalk towards him, followed by Kyouka and two of the other tigers.

"Shizune can die for all I care." Orochimaru said with a shrug. "Karin?"

"As you wish, Lord Orochimaru." The redhead replied and Shizune growled, then found herself flanked by two of the Great tigers with a third one behind her. One of them winked at her, then returned its attention to the approaching woman.

"And now that the children are out of the way," Orochimaru grinned as he pulled out a Kunai and cut his right arm, smearing the blood over a tattoo on his left arm, "_Kuchyose no Jutsu!_"

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Ignoring the battle between the Sannin, Hinata stalked towards Kabuto, then paused.

"Chakra scalpels." She noted and Kabuto frowned for a second, then his eyes met hers.

"How wonderful, you have the full Byakugan even in that form." He noted cheerfully. "Well, this certainly complicates things somewhat for me. I know how to bypass the Byakugan, but your… new form means that I'm no longer certain exactly where your internal organs are. This will be quite a fight."

Hinata growled and flexed her fingers, extending her claws. Lowering her stance, she flowed forwards a few paces, then grabbed her dagger and threw it at Kabuto, who dodged it nonchalantly.

"That was almost disappointing." He said, then his eyes widened as the dagger reappeared in Hinata's hand, quickly glancing back at where the dagger had landed, and now no longer was. "But _that_ is very interesting indeed."

As he finished his sentence, he leapt forwards, chakra needles extending from his fingers and Hinata reacted with a fast sequence of hand-seals.

_Tiger, Horse, Boar, Ram, Rat, Snake._

Kabuto's eyes widened in pain and he leapt back, leaving a trail of blood. Hinata's fur reverted from its sudden transformation into steel-strong needles and Kabuto looked down at his hands, noting the rips and holes in them which were healing.

"I guess that means that close-in fighting has suddenly become a great deal harder against you." He noted almost conversationally. Hinata grinned almost ferally, her fangs glinting, then she lifted her arm, revealing that not all the fur had reverted.

"_Needle Hell._"

Kabuto somersaulted out of the way of the sudden barrage of senbon-like hair.

"Offensive _and_ defensive capabilities from the same basic Jutsu." He mused. "This fight is getting harder and harder. But if I can't get at you that easily…"

Kabuto lunged at Kyouka…

…who snarled as she used a version of Needle Jizo that Hinata was _certain_ she hadn't taught her. With a curse, Kabuto retreated to a safe distance, nursing his re-injured hand.

"This is getting mildly annoying." He muttered, pulling out some senbon. Throwing them at Kyouka, he blinked as they bounced off her fur.

"What… how did…?"

Hinata glanced at Kyouka for an explanation.

'_Needle Jizu varient. Not very difficult, but needs concentration. I'll teach you later._'

"Oh, this is just getting ridiculous." Kabuto sighed. "I'd almost rather face a Jinchuuriki."

"Done that. Defeated him with a single attack." Hinata smirked and Kabuto sighed.

"Of _course_ you have. Just once, I would like an easy opponant."

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"Those cats of yours have a _lot_ of chakra." Karin noted as she strode towards Shizune. "How well can you fight with them?"

"First time." Shizune shrugged. "I have no idea what they can do, so I think I'll concentrate on healing them while they take you down."

Karin stopped in her tracks. "What?"

Black eyes met red for a moment and Shizune smiled.

"I'd only slow them down." Shizune explained, then she frowned as one of the tigers unleashed a barrage of growls and coughs.

"What was that about?" Karin asked.

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Hinata leapt away from Kabuto as she heard the message. Spinning round, she cupped both hands around her mouth and prepared to shout.

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"Shizune! She's an _Uzumaki_!"

Both Shizune and Karin turned to stare at the fight between Kabuto and Hinata, then Shizune turned back.

"An Uzumaki? Are you sure?"

The tiger nodded and Karin frowned.

"So what's so great about that?"

"The clan is being rebuilt in Konoha." Shizune said slowly. "New plan, take her alive and as undamaged as possible, I feel sure that this Honoka that Hinata told me about will want to meet her."

"Honoka?" Karin gasped. "She's… alive?"

"Clan head in Konoha, according to Hinata." Shizune said. "Why?"

"Honoka-neesan's alive?" Karin whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "She's alive? I thought she was dead! It's been so long… Tell me about her!"

"I only know a little bit, from Hinata. Hinata's one of Honoka's friends, she can tell you." Shizune said and Karin nodded.

"If it means I get to see Honoka-neesan again, I surrender." Karin said sitting down. One of the tigers walked up to her and thrust its head under her hand, causing Karin to giggle as she started to stroke the tiger.

"I… recognise the tiger, my mother told me stories…" Karen mused. "Are the… what in Kami's name were they called… aha, the Gokatora clan allied to Konoha as well?"

"I don't know." Shizune admitted as she sat down and leaned back against the tiger that had curled up behind her. "You'll have to ask Hinata."

"Honoka-neesan's alive…" Karin whispered, smiling through her tears.

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The flames died down to reveal that Manda had shed his burning skin. Jiraiya looked round in confusion.

'_Manda's as big as Gamabunta, but there's nowhere to hide except… oh hell!_'

"'Bunta, jump!"

Gamabunta leapt up into the air as Manda erupted out of the ground beneath him, jaws slamming shut in a bite that would have disembowled the Toad Boss had Jiraiya not realised what was happening. However, the impact was enough to cause him to drop his sword.

"**Oh, this isn't good…"**

As Gamabunta landed, Manda drew back in preparation for another strike when Tsunade, who had launched herself into the air and grabbed the falling sword, swung it in the air and, using her enhanced strength, hurled it like an oversized spear.

It flew true.

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Kabuto cursed as one of the tigers lunged between him and Hinata, deflecting his senbon yet again. No amount of poison in the world would help if he couldn't get it past that defence, and the cats had shown a suprisingly sadistic side, allowing him to get close and attack before using the _Needle Jizo_ technique to counter his attack.

He was impressed.

Extremely irritated, but still impressed.

The ground shook and he backed away from his adversaries, glancing over to see Orochimaru's snake-summons Manda pinned to the ground by a giant sword stabbed vertically through its mouth before the Boss summon dispelled.

"Kabuto, Karin, we are leaving!" Orochimaru shouted and Kabuto Shunshin'd to his master's side, glancing over to where Karin was meant to be fighting.

She was on the floor with one of the tigers pinning her with its head. Kabuto could see her trying to push it off, but she wasn't succeeding.

"My lord, I think we've lost Karin."

"Dammit." Orochimaru cursed as they started to vanish into the shadow of the rock. "You've won this time, but I'll destroy Konoha yet!"

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"He's gone." Karin said, looking round. "I can't sense his chakra anywhere nearby. Can you let me up now?"

With a stuttering purr that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, the tiger lifted its head from her belly. As she pulled herself up, the tiger quickly licked her face.

"Hey!"

"I think they like you." Hinata said, walking over. Karin looked at her oddly.

"Are you a Gokatora? You were using their technique earlier."

Hinata smiled. "It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way back. First of all, we need to get Tsunade's things."

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"He sounds like a very nice boy." Karin said as she stroked the neck of the tiger she was perched on. "I can't wait to meet him, you really are lucky."

"I know." Hinata said, glancing back to where Jiraiya and Tsunade were arguing while Shizune rode behind them, an almost blissful expression on her face as she lay along the shoulders and neck of the tiger carrying her. "It's because of him that I met Kyouka and learned some of the techniques I used against Kabuto."

"Those were some serious techniques." Karin nodded. "I caught a few glimpses of the fight, I've never seen Kabuto look that annoyed before. Did he manage to make a single successful attack?"

"Nope." Hinata grinned. "The Great Tigers apparently picked up the _Needle Jizo_ attack that Jiraiya-san taught me, and improved on it. As long as they concentrate, they're effectively immune to anything other than impact weapons,and they're naturally tough. Kunai bounce off them, Katana's fail to penetrate, it would take a Tetsubo to actually hurt them."

Karin nodded. "Tha must have caused him to freak out. He's normally excellent at deducing people's weaknesses, but I don't think he's had any experience with giant cats before."

Karin nodded, then looked round.

"… and you go on a mission with a young girl?" Tsunade shouted from behind them. "Who knows how perverted you were going to make her! Next thing you know, she'll be reading those orange books of yours!"

"Woah!" Karin exclaimed, looking backwards. "You write the _Icha Icha_ series? Will you sign mine?"

Tsunade looked horrified as Karin pulled out a small scroll and unsealed several books.

"He'll do anything for his fans." Hinata said. "He's already signed mine."

Tsunade went white while Karin looked across at her, confused.

"I didn't think you were the sort to read _Icha Icha_."

"A friend of my sensei started me on it as a way to build up my ability to cope with situations that would normally cause me to faint." Hinata shrugged. "It worked, and now I can tease my boyfriend without passing out. Besides, the plotlines are actually quite good."

"This has to be a nightmare." Tsunade moaned. "Stuck with a pervert and two of his fans. Hinata, you've just lost the respect I had for you."


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four – Recovery**

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Honoka looked up from finishing her packing as Hinata walked in, followed by a tall, busty blond and a younger woman who had black hair, and was carrying a pig, of all things. It was the fourth to enter who riveted her attention, however, and she dropped the scroll she was holding onto the floor in shock.

"Karin-neechan?"

"Honoka-neesan!"

Honoka didn't even remember moving, one second, she was standing by the table, the next, she had somehow crossed the room and was hugging her long-lost relative and best friend as the world around them vanished in a blurring of tears.

"I… thought you… were dead…" Karin choked out as they held onto each other.

"I thought… you were too." Honoka admitted tearfully. "Until Naruto found me, I thought I was truly the last. And now Hinata's brought you to me…"

The scratching of a pencil on paper caused them both to look round, their gaze settling on a tall, white-haired figure familiar to both of them.

"No, please, don't stop." Jiraiya grinned as he scribbled notes down. "This is pure gold, the reunion of two long-lost cousins of unearthly beauty who wrap their arms around each… oh shit!"

Honoka's chakra chains lanced through the space that Jiraiya had just vacated and Honoka snarled as she took off after the fleeing man.

"Get back here you pervert, and take your punishment like a man!"

Karin started to laugh.

"Honoka-neesan, here's your cup of… excuse me, where did Honoka-neesan go?"

Karin looked round and blinked at the young Hyuuga looking up at her. For a moment, her mind was blank,then several things came together.

"Gomen, are you clan-friend Hyuuga Hanabi? Hyuuga Hinata's younger sister?"

"I am." Hanabi said slowly. "May I know your name?"

"Uzumaki Karin, Honoka's cousin." Karin smiled at the dark-haired girl. "It's an honour to meet you."

"I said get back here, pervert!"

"_Ultimate Technique: Run Like A Little Bitch no Jutsu!_"

Hanabi and Karin glanced at the entrance from where the shouting had come from and Hanabi sighed.

"Ero-sennin's back."

Karin collapsed with laughter.

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Tsunade smirked as proof that Jiraiya had got himself into trouble yet again echoed up, then she returned her attention to running the diagnostic jutsu over Naruto, Hinata staring hopefully at her while Gaara stood quietly in the corner, a watchful, protective presence. After a moment, she nodded.

"He's taken quite a bit of damage, but it's healing. Whatever technique caused this, I'd advise him _never_ doing it again. He may not be as lucky next time."

"How bad is it?" Hinata asked, taking hold of Naruto's hand as Tsunade smiled.

"It'll probably take him a few weeks to fully recover once I wake him. He isn't to do any exercise for the next few days, or try to use chakra. I'd say three days bed rest, then another three on light duties, no sparring."

"But you can wake him." Hinata smiled.

"What is it which keeps him asleep?" Gaara asked and Tsunade sighed.

"Whatever caused his physical trauma knocked him out, but the technique set up a… a small chakra feedback eddy in his mind. Nothing dangerous in the short term, it just prevents him waking up. I'll smooth the chakra flow and he'll wake up."

"That is good." Gaara said. "It is because of Naruto-senpai that I have recovered from my previous… state as much as I have. Honoka-sama told me that the reason she was willing to help me so quickly despite my actions was because Naruto-senpai asked. I wish to express my gratitiude."

"And so you shall." Tsunade said, closing her eyes and concentrating as she placed her green-chakra-covered hands on Naruto's head. "Now keep quiet, this is rather tricky."

For several moment, the only movement in the room was a slight fluctuation in the intensity of the medical chakra surrounding Tsunade's hands, then she stepped back with a smile, glancing at Hinata.

"That should do it. Now, Hinata, how do you normally wake him, gently, that is?"

"Like this." Hinata smiled as she leant over the bed. Gently taking Naruto's face in her hands, she lowered her head and let her lips touch his.

"Mmmmhmmmmmhmmmmm."

Hinata staightened up as Naruto's eyes flickered open and focused on her.

"Tenshi-hime, did we win?"

"We did." Hinata grinned, lightly stroking his cheek. "We did it."

"I don't want to have to fight Gaara again." Naruto sighed. "Kami, he was tough. If I ever have to fight another Jinchuuriki, it'll be too soon."

"I admit to having similar thoughts." Gaara said, causing Naruto to stiffen in shock. "You defeated me once, I feel certain that you can do so again. But you showed me true strength comes from helping others and fighting alongside them. Your example has caused me to re-evaluate much of what I believed and has given me my family back. I owe you a great deal, Naruto-san. If you ever need help, send me a message and I will come."

"Ummm, thanks? Hinata?"

"Gaara's been helping to look after you." Hinata explained. "I was elsewhere, finding someone who could bring you back to me."

"Senju Tsunade. Honoured to meet you at last. Hinata's told me so much about you and from the diagnostic jutsu I ran, I don't think she was exaggerating _one_ bit."

Hinata blushed furiously while Naruto and Gaara stared at Tsunade in confusion.

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"So, why the packing?" Karin asked as she sipped the tea she'd been given, noting almost in passing that it was one of the best cups of tea she'd ever had.

"Oh, the Uzumaki mansion was finally finished yesterday." Hanabi said as Honoka stalked back in, muttering about perverts and cowards. "Honoka-neesan was going to move in today, I've been helping her seal her stuff ready."

"A mansion, huh?" Karin asked. "I'm impressed."

"It was the Namikaze mansion before it burned down." Honoka said, accepting the cup that Hanabi passed to her. "I kind of inherited it and had it rebuilt using the reclaimed Uzumaki fortune. Will you join me there?"

Karin nodded, taking another sip. "Of course, but I need to get some new clothes first. Actually, I need to get _money_ first."

"Money is no problem at the moment." Honoka smiled. "And I'm sure the room I'm vacating will be used before too long."

Karin raised an eyebrow as Hanabi giggled into her tea.

"Meaning?"

"Naruto collects strays and adopts them." Honoka smiled. "He did it to me, Zabuza, Haku… it's the sort of person he is."

"I can feel his chakra." Karin noted. "It feels… calming. Warm. Nice."

Honoka nodded. "Anyway, I've already had most of my stuff moved across, so if you want to come with me after we finish our tea, I can get you settled in. Then we three can go shopping.

Hanabi looked ecstatic at the implied invitation and Honoka grinned at her.

"Yes, neechan, you can come too. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Hanabi's grin widened and Honoka laughed.

"Go on, I promise I won't tell anyone in the Hyuuga household."

"Thanks neesan. Wahooooo!"

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"Pleeeeease?"

"No." Hinata said firmly, her head resting on his shoulder. "Tsunade-sama said you need at least three days bed-rest, so that is what you are getting. You are only getting out of bed if you need the bathroom."

"But I don't like being in bed!"

Hinata looked up at hin, her eyes wide and starting to fill with tears. "You don't like being in bed with _me_, Naruto-kun?"

"No, I mean… It's not that… I… Hinata, I…"

Hinata managed to keep her amusement off her face as Naruto slumped back against his pillows.

"You win. Damn your _Puppy Eyes no Jutsu_." He said. "I'll be good."

"You mean you'll obey Tsunade's orders," Hinata purred as she snuggled closer him. "She said you needed to stay in bed, she didn't say anything about being _good_."

"Wow, girl, you've really gotten your confidence up." Anko laughed from the doorway and Hinata seemed to Shunshin from curling against Naruto's side to standing by the bed so fast that even Lee would have been taken by surprise.

"A…A…Anko-sensei…" she stuttered breathlessly. "What are… what are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard that Tsunade had healed my favourite brat, so I came to see how he was doing." Anko grinned as she walked over. Pausing briefly, she hugged Naruto.

"How you feeling, gaki?"

"I've felt better, Anko-sensei." Naruto admitted, "But it could easily have been far worse. How did Konoha do?"

"We didn't do too badly." Anko said. "We lost less than two-dozen ninja overall, more injured but most of them are healed now. The wall got breached, but it's being repaired and Honoka says that she can replace all the broken seals, although the council's a bit antsy about how much she's charging. Jiraiya offered to help for a share of the money, he's almost as good as Honoka. Several members of the council almost had a heart attack when he said she was a better fuuinjitsu specialist than he was. Speaking of which, she's moving out today. She said that once she's unpacked and settled in, along with her cousin, they'll come over."

"Cousin?" Naruto asked, confused. "What did I miss?"

"On my mission, I encountered another Uzumaki." Hinata explained. "Turns out Karin knew Honoka when they were young. Karin's a sensor and a med-nin, she's been tested as being high-chunin level."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. Anything else I've missed?"

"Only that we've got a new Hokage." Anko shrugged. "Tsunade is taking over from the old man, he's moving to the position of advisor. Oh yeah, congratulations on making chunin, brat."

"I made chunin?" Naruto repeated, his face reflecting his astonishment as Hinata giggled. "I made chunin! Yes! Who else did? I bet you did, Hinata."

"I did." Hinata confirmed. "I've been promoted out of Team 8, Tsuchi Kin has taken my place."

Naruto frowned in thought. "Ah, that's good. Wait, isn't she a Sound-nin? How does that work?"

"Two of her team-mates were used as sacrifices for the Edo Tensai technique Orochimaru used." Anko aid. "As soon as she discovered what had happened, she defected to us."

"Kiba's tried to hit on her at least three times already." Hinata giggled.

"So, promotions, new Hokage, replacement on team 8… bedroom being freed up… anything else, or am I up to date?"

"I think you're up to date." Anko shrugged. "Gai's making a special meal for you, Teuchi heard you'd recovered so he popped over to help, you're getting special ramen."

"Ramen?" Naruto exulted. "Special ramen made by the two best cooks in Konoha? Today is totally _awesome_!"

Anko laughed. "Well, I've got to report in, so enjoy your bed rest, even though I don't think you'll be getting much _rest_."

Anko vanished before Hinata could reach her.

"What did she mean by that?" Naruto asked, and Hinata turned red.

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"On behalf of the council," Hiashi said with a faint smile, "Welcome back, Tsunade-sama. It has been far too long since you last graced us with your presence."

"Thank you, Hiashi." Tsunade said. "Sensei?"

Hiruzen looked round and felt a slight pang. "This is going to be my last true day as Hokage, so I will make some announcements. First, the treaty between Konoha and Suna has been finalised and accepted by both parties. The Suna delegation will be leaving tomorrow. Now that we know the reason that Suna decided to side with Orochimaru, we can take action to help them, reaffirming our alliance.

"Secondly, the results of the Chunin exams stand. I know some of you are insistent that Uchiha Sasuke be promoted, but I do not believe he is quite ready yet. I have spoken to him about it and explained my reasons, and he has agreed. However, both he an I feel sure that with his current rate of improvement, he will become a fine addition to our chunin at the _next_ chunin exam. I also know some of you re still doubtful about the promotions of Hyuuga Hinata and Kagetora Naruto. Those promotions stand.

"Third, I am pleased to announce two nw additions to our ranks. The Uzumaki clan has gained a new member, Uzumaki Karin, who was found by Hyuuga Hinata during her mission with Jiraiya. In addition, former sound-nin Tsuchi Kin has asked for sanctuary and has become a member of Team 8, where we can expect her genjitsu skills to be improved dramatically, giving us another genjitsu mistress in the near future.

"Fourth, Tsunade reports that Kagetora Naruto has been brought out of his coma and will be ready to resume active duty at the end of the week.

"And finally, Tsunade has agreed to accept the burden of becoming the Godaime Hokage. Although her coronation will not be until the end of the week, as from now, she is the new Hokage."

As he finished his sentence, Hiruzen removed his official hat and passed it to Tsunade, who accepted it with a slight bow.

"Thak you, sensei. I would like to start by saying that I will do my best to uphold the reputation and well-being of Konoha, and I trust that I can count on your support in the coming years."

A sussuration of confirmation echoed around the chamber.

"Now, is there any business that needs discussing, or shall we go straight to the reports on the rebuilding?"

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"Thank you for your hospitality, but it is time for us to depart." Gaara said. From his bed, Naruto smiled and proffered his hand, which Gaara shook with the air of one unaccustomed to doing such things.

"I'm sorry for being such a bad host." Naruto began, only for Temari to cut him off.

"You've been in a coma, it's not your fault. But you're awake now, so it's fine."

Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks for being so understanding."

"Hey, good to see you're getting better." Kankuro grinned through the bandages covering half his face. "You're a real lucky dude, having such a hot babe looking after you."

Both Temari and Gaara glared at him and he gulped nervously. "Come on, I meant it as a compliment!"

Gaara sighed as he facepalmed. "Why is it that I'm the more mature of us two, Kankuro?"

"That's not fair!" Kankuro protested as Temari tried hard to stop giggling.

Naruto coughed and they looked back at him. "Well, you're welcome to visit any time, I'll make sure I always have beds prepared if you decide to drop in."

"Thanks." Temari smiled. "Now, we have to go, our escort, Haku, is waiting to give us a lift to the border. I'm going to ride a tiger!"

Kankuro stared at his sister, obviously unnerved by her sudden fangirl-squeal, then he shrugged.

"I need to get back and rebuild my puppet. I managed to retreive all the pieces, so it's just a question of putting them together right. See you round."

"I hope to meet you both again soon." Gaara said. "I owe you for helping me."

"Thanks for everything." Temari smiled. "I'll miss this place."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five – Ceremonies**

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It seemed like the entire village had turned out for this ceremony. The ground in front of the Hokage Tower was solidly-packed to the point that quite a few of the children had been relocated to their parents shoulders. Every balcony with a line-of-sight to the tower was packed, as was every rooftop. Even the walls hadn't been forgotten as many of them were festooned with ninja who had chosen to take to them to let the less-skilled, the infirm and civilians have enough space to stand.

The forms of the Great Tigers were visible in the crowd, many of them serving as safe-points for the giggling children who had been placed on the cats' backs by parents who had realised that by doing so, they effectively negated the risk that their children would trip and be trampled by the crowd.

"I'm glad Tsunade decided to delay the ceremony until you could get out of bed." Hinata sighed, leaning against her fiancée's shoulder and enjoying the way his arm was draped around her shoulders. "You pretty much saved Konoha, so you deserved to be here."

"Thanks." Naruto whispered, taking the opportunity to give her a quick kiss to her cheek.

"Urgh, you two are so sickly sweet, it's like drowning in syrup." Zabuza mock-complained from behind them.

"I find it quite agreeable, father." Haku said almost instantly. "Although I admit to being biased in their favour, since it was they who gave us our new life."

Zabuza snorted. "Still too sweet for my tastes. "

Hinata promptly lowered her head into her jacket collar to hide her blush while Naruto simply sighed. "Uncle, please be serious. This is an important day."

"Not as important as tomorrow." Zabuza smirked and Hinata's blush deepened. "I talked with Honoka by the way, she's torn down and re-installed the privacy seals on your apartment. Means that you won't wake us up."

"Father, stop teasing them." Haku commanded and Zabuza started to laugh.

"Can't help it. They sleep together, yet they're still so innocent." He chortled. "It's a gift from Kami, that's all I can say."

"Just ignore him, Hinata-hime." Naruto said reassuringly and Zabuza started to laugh again.

"Hush." Haku commanded. "They're starting."

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Sarutobi stood at the front of the roof of the Hokage tower, the council flanking him on either side. All of them wore the formal robes and Hiruzen smiled as he adjusted the hat that he would, Kami willing, never have to wear again. Taking a deep breath, he looked sideways to where Tsunade was standing, concealed from the village's view behind several council members, then he began.

"People of Konohagakure, today an era ends and a new one begins. Today I announce to you all my retirement and the appointment of a new Hokage, the Godaime Hokage. The grand-daughter of the Shodai Hokage and my former student, she has returned to Konoha to take on the mantle of the Godaime Hokage. I present to you all, Senju Tsunade!"

Tsunade swept across to where Hiruzen was standing, resplendent in her formal robes. As she approached, Hiruzen removed the Hokage's hat from his head and turned it round, lifting it to place it on Tsunade's head. As he placed it, the village seemed to erupt with cheers and applause, causing hundreds of birds to fly into the sky.

Returning Hiruzen's bow, Tsunade turned to face the village as Hiruzen stepped back. Holding up her hand, Tsunade waited for the crowd to quieten once more before speaking.

"People of Konohagakure, I thank you for your overwhelming welcome. It is with a humble heart that I accept the position of Hokage, and I promise that I shall serve Konoha faithfully until the day that I die or pass the hat to another who is deemed worthy of the burden that this hat symbolises."

Unseen by most, her eyes flicked across to where Naruto and Hinata were sat.

"I know that we have much that still needs doing in order to recover from the treacherous attack plotted, launched and led by my former team-mate and traitor Orochimaru, so I will not keep you for long. However, looking across at you all, I can see that no matter what challenges we have in the future, no matter what obstacles we face and no matter how bleak things may seem, your courage and will, the Will of Fire which Konoha is renowned for, will always see us through and take us to a brighter future! Together, there is nothing we of Konohagakure cannot achieve!"

A roar of approval swelled up from the crowd, a roar that was not just the great tigers. Tsunade smiled as her eyes filled with tears of pride and joy.

"I shall do my best." She whispered. "I have returned, and I will not fail the task I have accepted."

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"…and our new Hokage is indeed most youthful!" Lee declaimed as the rest of the Konoha 14 (as they had become with Kin's recruitment) stared at him.

"Is he always like this?" Kin asked and the rest of the table nodded.

"Naruto is the only one of us who… scrumph… can keep up with him." Chouji said between bites. "Since he and Lee are almost brothers, it's no surprise."

Kin looked between the two indicated individuals, then shook her head. "I don't see it."

"Lee-senpai!" Naruto gasped. "Can it be that our newest youthful friend does not understand the ways of true Youth?"

"That is truly terrible, Naruto-kun!" Lee replied instantly. "Surely we can do something that will help her fan her flames of youth as we have fanned ours?"

"it is never too late to be youthful, Lee-senpai." Naruto replied solemnly. "With the examples we set, surely all who witness our youthful powers will be in awe of our conflagurations of youthfulness!"

"As always, you phrase if far better than I do, Naruto-kun!" Lee proclaimed.

"Lee-senpai!"

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata's eyes widened in horrified realisation.

"Lee-senpai!"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Look away NOW!"

"LEE-SENPAI!"

"NARUTO-KUN!"

Kin's eyes widened in horrified fascination as Naruto and Lee exchanged a manly hug…

…against the background of the sun setting on the horizon of a rocky shore.

As it faded, Shikamaru sighed. "And _that_ is why we try to stop Naruto and Lee from sitting next to each other."

"Eeeeeeurraabbrbrbrbraaaaaagu uuurg?"

Tenten leaned across and looked at Kin professionally. "Looks like they did a light _Sunset Genjitsu_, she'll be back with us in a few minutes and will be fine within the hour."

Hinata got out of her chair and walked to stand between Naruto and Lee. Naruto looked up at her, then without a word, slid into the vacated chair, allowing Hinata to take his place. Once seated, she shook her head.

"It's my fault, I'm afraid. I know that Lee gets… edgy when he can't perform his displays of… youthfulness… so I haven't tried to ban Naruto from doing things like that."

"eeeuuurraaaoooeeeegraaarrrrh aaawa?"

Naruto shrugged apologetically and Kiba managed to stop sniggering as Hinata glanced at him. After a few more seconds, Kin seemed to slump in her seat.

"I _never_ want to see that agin!" she gasped, her eyes still wide. Neji nodded.

"I have seen it many times myself, so it barely affects me any more. Naruto is immune to it, something I almost envy."

Hinata sighed. "New rule, you two. No more Youthful Hugs at gatherings like this."

Lee and Naruto looked at each other, then spoke in usison. "Yes, Hinata-hime."

"Good."

Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall and winced. "We should get moving. We still have a pair of celebrations to attend."

The fourteen of them exited the restaurant, Sasuke pausing to pay the bill, and split into two groups outside, Kin looking rather nervous.

"Should I really be coming? I mean, less than a month ago, I was a sound-nin…"

"You're one of us now." Ino said with a grin. "You joined us, so you're coming with us. Say goodbye, Hinata, you won't be seeing Naruto until the ceremony tomorrow."

"Indeed." Sasuke said with a grin. "I made the preparations and had your formal robes delivered to my clan-house, although we'll be using one of the other buildings for the actual party, just in case."

Naruto turned to follow the departing boys, then paused and sprinted back to Hinata. The two of them exchanged a long kiss, then rested their foreheads against each others.

"Have fun, Hinata-hime." Naruto said quietly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered. "Now have fun, and if you're even a single second late tomorrow…"

Naruto smiled and gave her another kiss, then jogged off to where the laughing boys were waiting.

"Kami, Hinata." Ino sighed. "You are _so_ lucky."

"I know." Hinata said with a smile as she let the others lead her away. "He's _my_ snuggly."

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Naruto inhaled and winced as his ribs protested. Sasuke pulled himself upright and looked round at the shattered beams and missing walls, then across to where a sleeping Lee was being tied up by a very bruised Gai and Kakashi.

"How much did he have to drink?" Sasuke asked in a shell-shocked voice.

"One sip of sake." Naruto answered, looking round at the devastation as he clasped his hand against his aching side. "_One sip_, then he managed to KO Neji with a single punch and then gave the rest of us a hard fight."

"I'd heard you were good," Asuma said as he limped up, "and thank Kami for it, Lee was almost unstoppable."

"You brought the six seconds I needed to recover and use my _Tiger Warrior_ form." Naruto responded. "You okay? Lee sent you straight _through_ a support beam."

"Hell of a fight." Zabuza chuckled as he stood, his arm splinted and bandaged. "Warn me next time, I want a rematch at some point."

Several of the other still-conscious genin looked at him as if he was mad. "What? That's the best pure taijitsu spar I've had against _anyone_ except Gai himself. Kid's got style."

"One genin." Sasuke whispered. "One genin managed to hold off five Jonin and a chunin for five minutes. How?"

"Training." Naruto half-whispered, slumping against the wall and not caring if it gave way or not. "He trains more than I do. But _that_ was something new."

"He's a natural Suiken fighter." Gai said as he limped up to them, his sleeping student slung over his shoulder. "I had no idea… It is something that I need to investigate."

"Just _not_ in the Uchiha sector." Sasuke said with a wry grin as he tried and failed to see through his black eye. "I know I own quite a few spare buildings, but when I get round to rebuilding my clan, I _don't_ want to have to rebuild my sector as well."

Asuma laughed, then winced and clutched at his ribs.

"Well, after that, I'd recommend simply crashing." He said as he straightened slightly. "The Karaoke machine's broken, most of the food is… not salvagable and there is _no way_ I'm letting _anyone_ near anything alcoholic after that battle."

"Agreed." Sasuke said, looking round and wincing at the devastation. "Anyone who's mobile, gather up the fallen and let's get them to an unbroken building."

Putting words to action, Sasuke lifted Shikamaru, then paused.

"You lazy bastard." He half-laughed. "You're playing possum."

Naruto grinned as he picked Chouji up from the floor.

"Huuuuh, wasssuuupp?"

"We're heading out." Naruto said. "Come on."

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"No way! You've been sleeping with him that long, and you're _still_ a virgin?" Sakura exclaimed.

"They decided to wait until they were married." Anko said with a leer. "Not that that hasn't prevented them… getting to _know_ each other."

"Anko!" both Hinata and Kurenai snapped at the same time, then they looked at each other and laughed. Anko grinned and looked round.

"You know, Honoka, your idea of pampering us in the private Nami… I mean _Uzumaki_ hot springs was brilliant." Hinata said, trying to change the subject.

"I agree." Ino said. "I can feel the tension melting away… and I bet Hinata appreciates it more than any of us do."

Anko opened her mouth, only for Kurenai, who had edged closer, to clap her hand across it. Anko sighed and nodded.

"I'm surprised that you went for such a small ceremony." Tenten said. "I had expected a village-wide celebration, not a small ceremony on the Hokage tower and then a barbeque and party in Tiger Forest."

"I quite like the idea." Hanabi piped up from where she was sitting between Hinata and Honoka. "I got a new kimono for tomorrow, I want to look my best for my big sister's big day."

"But it's not _my_ big day tomorrow." Honoka teased and everyone laughed as Hanabi pouted.

"You know what I mean."

"Sorry," Honoka laughed, "But you're so _cute_ when you do that."

Hanabi giggled and nestled against Honoka's shoulder as Honoka wrapped her arm around her. A few seconds later, the combination of the late evening and the heat of the spring-fed pool meant that she was asleep. Several of the others in the pool '_awwww'_d at the sight. Karin smiled as she wiped her glasses lenses again.

"You really need to find yourself a chap, Honoka-neesan. The way you look after Hanabi-chan, definite maternal material."

Hinata fought down a yawn, but Kurenai noticed. "It's getting late, ladies and girls. I think it's time to head in and get some sleep for tomorrow."

Hinata nodded and helped Honoka to lift Hanabi out of the pool. Stopping just long enough to wrap a large towel around her, they led the gaggle of Kunoichi inside, to where the futons had been set up.

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Tsunade stood on the roof of the Hokage tower, smiling at a very nervous Naruto and his best man, Lee, who was looking incredibly different in his formal kimono, rather than the green spandex outfit he often wore. Naruto also wore a formal kimono, but like most of his other clothes, his was made primarily from chainmail with a leather underlay. However, the links had been carefully made from metal imbued with special ground crystals which caught or absorbed the light, giving Naruto the appearance of wearing a metallic, glowing tiger-skin kimono.

"Calm down." Hiruzen muttered from nearby as Naruto shifted position yet again. "She'll be here. Do you really think that she'll miss this?"

Naruto smiled at Hiruzen, then his gaze moved across the audience. Most of them were from the Hyuuga clan, chosen from those who did not openly disapprove of Hinata, while the rest of the audience were the rest of the Rookie 14, their Senseis and a few others. Teuchi saw him looking and waved while Ayame winked at him while Konohamaru , clad in a formal Sarutobi kinomo, gave him a wide smile and slight bow. Honoka and Karin both gave him reassuring smiles while Haku was almost grinning widely enough to risk self-decapitation. From the crinkling of his mask, Zabuza was as well.

"Straighten up!"

Naruto turned and straightened in response to Hiruzen's warning, just in time to see Hinata appear, flanked by Kurenai and followed by Hanabi. Naruto gaped at her, the rest of the world seeming to fade away as she seemed to float towards him, a vision of absolute perfection that he knew he didn't deserve, yet by some gift of Kami was receiving anyway. He knew he was staring like the Dobe that Sasuke called him, but he couldn't help but be overwhelmed as she approached, radiant and perfect.

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"He's waiting." Kurenai said and Hinata took a deep breath.

"You'll be fine, neesan." Hanabi whispered and Hinata nodded jerkily, then she stepped up round the curve of the staircase and almost froze as she saw her husband-to-be. His eyes lit up as she appeared, perfect pools of sapphire that she could lose herself in for hours at a time, then his mouth, the so-kissable mouth, formed a small but welcoming smile.

Hinata felt sure that she was clumping towards him, her legs seemed determined to disobey her and her hands felt as if she was about to drop the bouquet of flowers she was holding. Somehow, she managed to make it to his side without falling over, and she felt the world around her disappear as she took her position in front of Tsunade.

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Tsunade smiled gently as she looked at the two in front of her. This was one of the best things that a Hkage could do, joining two people who were deeply in love together in matrimony. Looking up at the audience, she let her gaze drift across them before returning her gaze to Hinata and Naruto. Taking a deep breath, she began the ritual that predated Konohagakure by hundreds of years, if not more.

"We are here today, in Kami's sight, to celebrate the joining of Kagetora Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata in matrimony. We are here to celebrate the bonds of love that unite these two, the bonds that they feel for each other and share with each other…

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_Authorial Afterword._

_Ladies and gentlemen, we have faded out on a happy ending (for now). Although I have hopes to continue this story at some point in the future, my muse has currently decided to go on holiday._

_I therefore declare that this story is open to adoption if anyone wants to take it._

_Thank you for reading and the (relative) lack of flames in the reviews. It has been a pleasure (and honour) writing this story and perusing the feedback. Thank you for your kind words._

_And thank you for giving this story a chance._


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